


All I Need

by siophiefandom



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: F/F, paily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-11 17:15:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 74,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7062088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siophiefandom/pseuds/siophiefandom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Paige McCullers isn't looking for a relationship. She tried that, and it didn't work. All she needs is a little bit of fun. She may have met her match in Emily Fields. Paily. Rated T for adult themes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to May 1 - June 1 2016 on fanfiction dot net

Prologue

"What are you saying, Terri?"

Paige bit her lip with a scowl. Her leg was bouncing uncontrollably beneath the table. But, above the table, she was cold and dispassionate. She refused to let her girlfriend know that she was on the verge of losing it.

"Paige, what we have is special." There was something sickeningly sweet and condescending in the way Terri's words were coming out. "And what we had last night was – incredible. Beyond incredible. Thank you."

Paige closed her eyes. She could tell what was coming. Terri's attempts to cushion the blow weren't making things anu better. "Just say what you have to say," she growled through her gritted teeth.

Terri let out a deep breath, reaching for Paige's hand. "Well, okay, Paige. You know that I'm leaving for college on Monday. We're going to be separated by almost half the country. It just doesn't make sense for you to save yourself for me. I wouldn't dream of asking you to do that."

Paige shook her head. This wasn't about what made sense for her, and Terri knew that.

"Paige." Page pulled her hand away. She didn't jerk it away in anger. She wouldn't give Terri that. She stayed calm; her eyes cold steel bullets.

"Go on," she demanded in a low snarl.

"I don't want to make promises that I can't keep. College is supposed to be fun; free and easy. You know, like a salad bar. Sample a little bit of this, a little bit of that…"

"So, that's it? It's over between us?"

"It doesn't have to be, Paige. I'd love to see you again, in the summers. And, who knows? Maybe in a couple of years, I'll see you in college!"

"So, you just expect me to wait for you, while you're out having your fun?"

"No, Paige. That's not what I'm saying. I'm telling you that we should both have our fun. And, maybe, sometime in the future, circumstances or fate will bring us back to each other." Paige sniffled in spite of herself, and Terri stretched her hands across the table, taking Paige's wrists. "Look. You're young. Everything seems so serious to you, right now. I get that."

"Don't," Paige warned, glaring at Terri as she rose from her seat. She had heard enough. She didn't need to be patronized.

"Paige?" Paige turned back toward the table with an icy stare. Terri stood up and took a step toward her. "I do love you. Please don't ever doubt that."

Paige scoffed and turn around, not looking back.

 _Two years._ She and Terri had been together for two years. Of course, they had had their ups and downs, like any couple, but they had started to build something. Or, at least, that's what Paige had thought. That was why Paige had given herself to Terri. And it had been perfect; she felt so valued and loved. Terri was tender and patient with her. Right up until she got what she wanted.

Paige tossed and turned all that night in bed. She wanted to convince herself that Terri had actually loved her during the time that they were together; that she hadn't just been used and tossed aside. But she was only able to make peace with the situation by finally convincing herself that it didn't matter. Whatever she thought they had - and whatever Terri thought of they had, it was over. The only good thing that had come from it was cruel experience, the world's best teacher.

Paige had learned her lesson well. Terri had it right. Get what you want, then get out and explore what else is out there.

It's like dessert. You may love chocolate mousse, but that doesn't mean you have to be exclusive with it. That would be stupid, when there are so many other desserts to sample.

And Paige had quite an appetite. She decided that she wanted to taste them all.

* * *

_Two Years Later_

Emily curled up in Hanna's embrace, her body wracked by sobs, as hard as she struggled to remain strong. "How could she do this to me? After all that we've been through?"

She kept asking those same questions over and over.

"It's okay. It's okay." Hanna glanced helplessly up at Aria and Spencer, her eyes pleading for some assistance.

"What did I do wrong?"

"Emily, don't blame yourself," Aria said soothingly. "You're not the one at fault here."

Emily pushed off from Hanna, wiping her eyes. "Look, I know that you guys were never Maya's biggest fans..."

"Emily," Spencer rasped, "This isn't even about that!"

"We all know how much Maya meant to you, and we all respect that," Aria assured her. This wasn't the time to say, "I told you so." This was the time to be there for their friend.

"We're just saying that this – what she did to you with that... _guy_ – it's not your fault."

"She just proved that she doesn't deserve someone like you."

"It's _clearly_ my fault," Emily said, annoyed. "If I had been a better girlfriend..."

"Emily..." Spencer sat next to Emily and Hanna on the bed. "You're so much better than her."

"She's just jealous," Aria agreed. "Jealous that you're moving forward and going somewhere in life, while she's stuck back here in Rosewood."

"Why do you think she kept picking fights with you ever since you started talking about going away to college?" Hanna asked. "Em, this isn't about you not being good enough for her, this is about Maya lashing out and trying to hurt you, to make herself feel better. Because she knows that, as soon as you move away and see what else is out there, you'll see how poorly she measures up."

Emily shook her head. "Hanna, I would never..."

Emily didn't finish the thought, but Aria picked up on it for her. "We know that, Emily. We know that you wouldn't ever cheat."

"That's what makes you so much better than her."

As much as Emily's friends were trying to make her feel better, she didn't need to hear what they were saying, not when the wound was still so fresh. Even though they never approved of Maya, the feelings that Emily had for her were real - and still strong. "Look," she said with a sigh, using the twisted tissue in her hand to wipe her eyes again, "I appreciate what you guys are saying. I know that you're trying to make me feel better, but I really... I just need to be by myself right now."

Spencer rubbed Emily's back. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Emily sniffled as she nodded her head. "I promise I'm not going to shut you guys out forever. Just - for right now."

The girls nodded and gave Emily hugs, promising to be there for her whenever she was ready.

Hanna walked the girls downstairs and then returned to Emily's room, despite their protests that she should honor Emily's desire for some time alone.

Hanna tilted her head as she knocked on the door, pushing it open. "Hey..."

Emily sighed. "Look, Hanna," she said patiently. "I appreciate that you're concerned, but, really, I can't talk about this anymore right now. Please."

"I don't want to talk about it! I want to talk about college! Are you ready to room with Spencer?" Hanna asked with her eyes wide, ominously wiggling her fingers in front of Emily's face.

Emily laughed, disarmed. She hugged Hanna as Hanna sat next to her on the bed.

"Yeah - what was I thinking? How did I let her talk me into that one?"

After a good twenty minutes of talking and laughing - and not thinking about Maya at all - Hanna turned serious. "Listen, Emily. You go off to college and you have the time of your life, okay?" Her voice was firm as she leaned in, wagging her index finger in Emily's face. "Find some hot young thing and let her fuck your brains out!" Emily laughed. Even though she was still sniffling the pain away, it felt good to be able to laugh. Hanna gave her a hug. "Oh, yeah, and get that degree, too. You know, one of these days, I'm going to do something stupid and need a lawyer!"

"Hanna," Emily shook her head. "Spencer's going to be the lawyer. I'm going to be the physiotherapist, remember?"

"Whatever!" Hanna bumped Emily with her shoulder. "If I do something really stupid, I'll probably need one of those, too!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> This story is based on a prompt by thecatfromaliceinwonderland. I'll share the full prompt in the next chapter – don't want to spoil it yet… :)
> 
> And, as always, just to be clear - This story is pro-Paily, not anti-anybody. Ship and let ship... I'll do my best to respect the other ships out there, but please recognize that someone has to be the villain. Thanks for understanding! :)


	2. In the Club

"Okay," Caleb said, setting down his beer, "just over your right shoulder: Tall, brunette, complexion like a mochaccino…"

Paige chuckled. "Really? That's what you came up with?" She braced her hands against the round table between them and was about to swivel her chair around when Caleb held a finger up to stop her. After a moment, when the girl he had just described looked away, he nodded, signalling that it was safe for Paige to turn around and check her out.

"Ooh!" Paige turned back to the table quickly, sinking down a bit in her tall chair. "No, no, no, no, no, no." She slurred the words together in rapid-fire.

"What?" Caleb threw his palms up. "She's not hot?"

Paige sighed. "We have a history. That's Shana?" Paige said the name as a question, although there was no chance that Caleb could have forgotten it, after all the tales Paige had told about her. He leaned to Paige's left for a closer look at the girl he'd heard so much about.

"And, you're right," Paige continued. "She's – incredibly hot. And the sex was… earth shattering… But she was just..."

"Too needy, I know," Caleb said wearily.

Paige ducked her head and shrank into her leather bomber jacket, putting the collar up.

"Do we need to leave?"

Paige shrugged. She really didn't want to get spotted by Shana.

"She's on the move," Caleb said, following Shana with his eyes as she made her way over to the bar. "Target acquired," he added, continuing his narration. Paige dared a glance in the direction where Caleb was looking. If Shana ended up bagging the girl she was chatting up, Paige and Caleb would be able to stay.

Caleb was already looking for the next prospect. "Okay," he said, looking off to his side, "Red head – like, _really_ red. From a bottle. Pleasant smile… cute body."

Paige looked over. The girl's hair was dyed an unnatural, dark red that matched her slacks. "Enh," she said with a sneer. "Scarlett O' _Hair_? She's closing-time material."

Caleb smirked. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah. If I haven't found anybody by then – let's face it: She'll still be available."

"Jeez, McCullers! What have you got flowing through your veins?"

"Hey – I'm just being honest!"

As the evening wore on, Caleb pointed out a couple more prospectives, but no one whom Paige was overly excited about. His eyes widened. "Well, there's one – oops! Never mind!"

"Why 'never mind?' "

"She seems to be scoping out guys." Paige swiveled around quickly in her chair. "What? Now you're interested?"

"Hell yeah! Straight girl?"

"Since when are you out to convert straight girls?"

"Since never! Ugh – why would I want to _convert_ her? Caleb, straight girls are the best kind! They don't get offended when you tell them that they're not doing it right, they're really eager to please, and the best part is, after their little 'experiment,' you don't ever have to worry about seeing them again!"

"Oh, really?"

"Really. The next morning, they're as happy to forget about what happened as you are. And, if you happen to run into them, they're the ones who run and hide – or look away and pretend that they've never met you."

Caleb laughed. "Man, you've really got it all figured out, haven't you?"

Paige shrugged. "A girl's got to learn how to protect herself."

"Just stay away from my Hanna!"

Paige put her hands up. "No way, man! Bro code!"

"Bro code," Caleb echoed, touching his mug to hers.

* * *

A few drinks later, Paige was starting to relax. Her head was bobbing up and down in time with the thumping beat of the soundtrack playing in the background.

"Ooh – someone's checking you out." Paige rolled her eyes. "Left shoulder, long, black hair, Asian, beautiful – I mean, really gorgeous!"

Paige, skeptical, turned around with a sigh. She was cringing when she turned back to face Caleb. "Oooooh – so close!"

"Don't tell me – you did her, too?"

Paige huffed. "I wish! No, she's in my math section, so I'd have to see her three times a week." Paige scrunched her lips together, shaking her head. "Hands off!"

Caleb took a second look. "Really? She's in your math class? She looks too young to be a junior."

"Freshman," Paige corrected, shaking her head. "You know. I had to take that intro to calc course when I changed majors."

Paige turned again, to take another look. Emily always looked good - put together - in class. She wore jeans, or sometimes a tasteful skirt, and Paige had never been able to decide which look she preferred on her. Her hair was invariably in a ponytail, and, if Paige was at the right angle, she enjoyed watching the way that it swished around when Emily moved her head, especially when Emily was wearing a tank top or something off-the-shoulder.

But, there in the club, Emily's look was completely different. She looked hot. Her hair was up, over her head, save for a pair of tendrils that framed her heart-shaped face and exposed the long, silver earrings that dangled behind them. Her cropped top danced loosely above her mid-section whenever she moved. It was a brilliant white, set off by the the tight, leather skirt beneath it that didn't quite make it to Emily's knees. She had just enough of a heel accentuate her taut calves. She looked on the prowl, but in a tasteful way, and not a bit self-conscious about the way that she was showing off her body.

Paige cleared her throat.

"Well, you'd better get your story together, because she's heading this way!"

"Ha, ha." Paige didn't even bother to turn around.

"No shit, McCullers! Def Con 4! Engage shields! I repeat, Engage shields!"

Paige just rolled her eyes as Caleb kept the bluff going. Then, she felt a hand land softly on her shoulder. "Hi," an angelic voice said, "You're Paige, right?"

Paige stared at her, open mouthed, unable to speak from the shock. Caleb was smiling as if to say, "I tried to warn you!"

The girl continued. "I'm…"

"Emily Shields – I mean, Fields! Fields!" Caleb spit out a mouthful of his drink, knowing that his remark about shields was what had tripped up Paige's tongue. That and the undeniable hotness of the girl behind her. Paige glared at him menacingly. Emily eyed him, too, with a confused smile.

"It's okay," she said, squeezing Paige's shoulder. "I get that a lot, actually."

"Caleb," Paige said with a steely stare, "This is Emily. We're in _math_ together." She punctuated the word, "Math," in case Caleb had forgotten why this was such a bad idea.

"Pleased to meet you, Emily." Caleb extended his hand and stood up. "Oh, look – I think I see the rugby team!"

Paige kicked Caleb under the table, grabbing his shoulder to keep him from bailing, but he shrugged out of her grip, smiling devilishly as he abandoned her.

"Caleb seems like a good wingman," Emily observed, taking the seat that he had vacated.

"Yeah, well... most of the time," Paige said weakly.

The pair sat in awkward silence for several seconds.

"So," Emily finally said, smiling genially.

"So," Paige echoed.

"So, are you just going to stare at my tits all night, or do you have some signature move you want to try?"

Paige choked on her drink, looking up at Emily in disbelief. Before she could defend herself, she felt Emily's foot stroking up the side of her calf.

"Well, as tempting as that sounds, Emily, unfortunately, my roommate's got a big exam that she's cramming for back at my apartment, so…"

Paige didn't actually have a roommate. That was one of her standard evasive maneuvers.

"Well, this is your lucky night," Emily cooed. "My roommate's gone home for the weekend!" Emily's fingers were feather light down Paige's forearm as she made this revelation.

All kinds of alarms were going off in Paige's brain. But, with the way Emily looked and the way her touch felt, Paige's brain was no longer in charge of her actions.

_Ah, what the hell?_ she thought as she downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. _I can always transfer into another math class._ "What do you say we get out of here?"

* * *

Paige struggled to open her eyes the following morning. She looked around to reacquaint herself with her surroundings. _Oh great._ She was on the far side of the bed. That would make it harder to get to the door without waking Emily.

Paige tried to locate her clothes without stirring too much. The previous night was largely a blur. It wasn't that she had been drunk; she just got so caught up in sex with Emily that her mind fogged. It was amazing, next-level sex. There was such a connection between their bodies. It was as if Emily knew what Paige wanted even before Paige, herself, knew.

Paige couldn't even remember falling asleep. She just remembered going one more time with Emily. And another. And another.

Paige caught herself smiling at the sight of Emily sleeping. She looked angelic, with her dark hair in waves on either side of her face. Paige loved it in a ponytail, and she loved it up, but there was something special when it was like that, unfurled around her. Paige remembered the feeling as it danced back and forth against her shoulders as Emily rocked back and forth on top of her. And the way that it blanketed her thighs when Emily dipped her head between them. She couldn't help lightly stroking a lock of that hair, to get the feel of it once more - and - _Shit!_ She'd gone too far. She cringed as Emily started to stir.

Emily grunted as she opened her eyes. "Oh. You're still here?" Paige's eyes shot open in shock, and Emily burst into laughter. "That face… That's what I'm going to remember most about this weekend."

Emily sat up and stretched. It wasn't an early morning stretch, to chase the tiredness away. It was the stretch of an athlete, loosening her muscles after an intense workout. As Emily twisted her torso from left to right, the sheet that had been covering her chest fell down. Emily raised her arms about her head and stretched out her shoulders, not at all demure about the show that she was giving.

"So," she said matter-of-factly, "I'm going to go make some breakfast. There are towels on the rack in the bathroom, if you want to take a shower. Or you can wait and take one with me after breakfast. But, if you go that route, you have to be quick, 'cause I've got to get to work at noon."

And, before Paige could assess whether Emily was joking or serious, Emily was bending over the bottom drawer of her dresser, to extract a t-shirt which she pulled over her head, then pulled her hair out from under. As she stepped into a pair of boy shorts, she called behind her, "Bathroom's that way," and wiggled out in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

When Paige eventually made her way into the kitchen, she cleared her throat to let Emily know that she was there. Emily turned around with a pleasant smile. "Good morning!" She recognized the sweatshirt that Paige had borrowed from her bottom drawer. "I see that you went with Option B," she said with a wink

"Yeah." Paige smiled shyly, still not quite sure what to say. A one night stand is a one night stand - Paige had rules about that - but who could possibly say no to a shower with Emily in the morning? Paige knew that she was on dangerous ground, and that it would just make things more complicated when they saw each other in class. But that was still 22 hours away. No use worrying about it right at that moment. Not considering how well she and Emily had fit together the previous night.

Emily, who had returned her attention to the stove, tilted her head toward the cabinets to her left. "You can grab a mug and make some coffee," she said, stretching out her spatula to point to the Keurig machine on the counter. "Juice and milk are in the fridge. Just be sure that you put anything you take out back in there exactly the way that you found it." Turning her head to Paige, she put her hand to the side of her mouth as if telling a secret when she explained, "My roommate's kind of anal."

Paige made herself some coffee and took a seat in front of one of the placemats that she found on the table. It was all very neat and domestic, and it felt like a trap. Paige's instincts told her to run. But not before she got a shower. She got a tingle of anticipation up and down her spine at that thought.

Emily set a plate in front of Paige and another for herself as she took a seat.

"So, uh..." Paige began. She really didn't know where to go next. This was just about sex, after all. She didn't want to open a door that might lead to a conversation about _feelings._

Emily let Paige's words hang awkwardly in the air before she laughed, lightly. "Not much of a morning person, are you, McCullers? Lucky for you you're good in bed! Here," she said, reaching for a remote, "Let me help you."

They finished their breakfast in relaxed silence, not really watching the news; just letting it fill in some background noise. When they finished their meal, Paige got up with a sigh and took her plate and Emily's to the sink, scraping them and giving them a rinse before she put them in the dishwasher.

Emily came behind her, grabbing a handful of her ass. "Still up for that shower?" When Paige turned around, smiling and nodding, Emily stroked a finger across her cheek, reminding her, "You have to be quick!" She took Paige by the chin, moaning a kiss into her mouth, before she turned quickly and headed off to the bathroom, shedding the few clothes that she had been wearing as she went.

Paige gave her head a quick shake, to clear her daze from trying to keep up with everything. With a look of determination, she rushed she followed after Emily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Here's the prompt, courtesy of thecatfromaliceinwonderland (Thx!): It starts as a rebound thing and, between occasional booty calls and meetings and whatever, they get to know each other better and finally fall in love. (Okay, so, minor spoiler, but we all know that this is a Paily story, right?)
> 
> This is the first Paily story I've written where the sex comes before the I-love-yous. I don't recommend that sequence... no judgment - just friendly advice based on personal experience... :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. In the Kitchen

Paige paid for her coffee and Caleb's, and they made their way to a table.

"So how'd you make out last night with - Emily?" Caleb asked, not sure he remembered the girl's name.

Paige looked at the ceiling dreamily. "Oh, God. It was incredible. We were like, so connected... It was... yeah."

Caleb laughed. "You're welcome." Paige laughed mockingly. "So, you hit it and quit it?"

Paige shrugged, looking off to the side, and said, softly, "Something like that."

"Paige McCullers! You're slipping! Do I detect some feelings in that cold, cold heart of yours"

"No!" Paige protested with mock indignation. "She offered me breakfast and shower sex, so I hung around... kinda" Caleb offered up a high five, which Paige, rolling her eyes, returned. "Yeah, but now comes the hard part. I have to see her tomorrow in math class."

"What's so hard?" Caleb put his palms up on the table. "She knew what it was, right? So, you just have a talk with her."

"Yeah, talking's not really my thing. I'm more the 'See you never' type of gal."

"So what's your plan?"

Paige pushed her fingers through her hair, letting out a puff of air. "Change sections, I guess? Or just lay low till it blows over?" She hadn't really thought it through.

* * *

Paige showed up a bit earlier than normal for math on Monday and staked out a good seat. She needed a seat up front, near the door, so she could make a quick escape after class, before Emily could catch up with her.

She found a seat on the aisle. Ordinarily, she would have put her backpack in the seat next to her, to keep people from sitting next to her, but she decided that, if she did, Emily might think that she was saving her a seat. Instead, she did the next best thing, taking a seat next to someone else. As she sat down, she put her head down and began doodling in her notebook, to avoid Emily's gaze when Emily came in.

As students began filing in, Paige sensed Emily's presence somehow - perhaps a hint of her body wash? Whatever it was, Paige looked up at just the wrong time, catching Emily's eyes as she walked through the door. Emily gave her a friendly wink and a "Hey, Tiger!" and walked on by.

Paige was confused. She didn't know what kind of game Emily was playing. She peeked behind her, trying to catch Emily checking her out, but Emily was busy checking her nails. If she did feel Paige's eyes on her, she didn't take the bait and look back. Paige checked another couple of times during the lecture, but Emily was either taking notes or staring out of the window.

As the hour came to an end, Paige made sure that she was packed up and ready to bolt. She made it out of the building not at all sure whether she'd dodged a bullet - or no bullet had even been fired.

* * *

Emily unlocked the door to her apartment and smiled at her roommate. "Hi, Spence!"

Spencer looked up from her textbook with a judgmental face. "Hello."

_Here we go._ Emily pressed on with the pleasantries, trying her best to avoid or delay what she knew was coming. "So, how are your parents?"

"Good," Spencer said flatly. Before Emily could respond with another diversionary tactic, she added, "So, why does it smell like bad decisions and regret in here?"

Emily rolled her eyes and crossed into the common room, tucking her leg beneath her as she settled into the armchair. Running a hand through her hair, she confessed, "Okay, so I had a guest over." Spencer quirked an eyebrow. Emily groaned. "Over...night, okay?"

"Emily..."

"Oh, come on, Spencer!" Emily wasn't in the mood. She just wanted to enjoy her memories of the weekend - and maybe even talk to someone about how much fun she'd had.

"Emily! No! How long have you and Maya been broken up?"

"Spencer..."

"How long?"

Emily shrugged. "I don't know. Two weeks? I don't know." She knew. It had been eight days. "So?"

"So, I don't think it's wise to jump into another relationship..."

"Spencer. Nobody's jumping into a relationship!"

"Or jumping into _bed_ \- that's even worse! I mean, leading some poor girl on like that? What are you going to do if she ends up falling for you?"

Emily smiled broadly. "No chance of that," she said, clicking her tongue. "Not with Paige McCullers!"

Spencer gasped in shock. "Emily, no!"

"Yes!"

"Player Paige?"

"Uh huh!"

"Emily!" Spencer's voice was getting higher and more condemnatory as she spoke. "She's been with every queer girl on campus! And a few of the straight ones!"

"Yeah, I could tell! She really knows what she's doing. Like, she did this one thing..."

"Emily!"

"What, I'm just saying!"

"I can't believe you, Emily! I _told_ you not to do something like this! You're in a fragile state right now. You need..."

"What I **need** ," Emily said indignantly, "is a little bit of fun. What I **need** is some support from my friends. I was with Maya all through high school, Spencer. She was my world. And I was the perfect girlfriend to her, until she cheated. So I don't _need_ a relationship right now. And I don't _need_ to overthink things. I just need a little bit of fun. Isn't that what college is supposed to be all about?"

Spencer sighed and shook her head. She stood up and went over to Emily, holding her arms out for a hug. "I support you, Em. Honestly, I do. I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

"Okay. And I appreciate that. But you need to appreciate that I'm not a little kid, okay?" Emily felt Spencer nod against her shoulder as they broke the hug.

"Did you at least use protection?"

"Why? Worried she got me pregnant?"

"Ha ha. It's not funny, Em. There's no telling what kind of microorganisms that girl has picked up, sleeping around the way she does."

"Oh, chill, Spencer. I'm not stupid. We're very safe, okay? We've both been to campus health services and gotten tested."

"I bet Paige they know Paige's student ID number by heart. She probably has one of those customer loyalty cards - ten punches and she gets the next penicillin shot for free."

"Spencer..."

* * *

Emily was low-key once again in class on Wednesday. On Friday, Paige was fully relaxed, realizing that Emily wasn't going to make a thing out of what had happened the week before. As she walked out to her car afterwards, though, Emily caught up with her.

"Hey, Hot Stuff. What've you got going this weekend?"

Paige shrugged. "Oh, you know. The usual."

"Well, if you get stuck, give me a call." Emily bumped shoulders with Paige and headed off in another direction, toward her car. Paige didn't even get the chance topoint out that she didn't have her phone number.

Paige thought things through as she headed back to her apartment. On the one hand, there was a night in the clubs - the thrill of the hunt, some casual flirting, the possibility of running into someone she'd rather avoid, the possibility of coming up empty. On the other hand, there was a sure thing - and one who had already proven that she could rock Paige's world. But was it too soon to see Emily again? She didn't want to send the wrong signals. She still had class with Emily three times a week. Then again - the sex was out of this world. And Emily seemed pretty chill.

The decision would have been easy, but Paige didn't have Emily's number. She did, however, remember hearing Emily say something about her job at The Brew.

Paige showered and changed and headed for The Brew. She didn't really have a plan as much as a hope that Emily would be there. When she got through the door and looked around, that hope was dashed. Paige blew out a puff of air, blowing the hair out of her face, and made her way to the counter. "Hey there," she said pleasantly, ordering a black coffee. As the girl behind the counter poured it out, Paige, as casually as she could manage, asked, "Hey, do you know a girl named Emily Fields? - I think she..."

Before she could finish the thought, the barista leaned toward the kitchen and shouted, "Emily!"

Paige took her coffee and paid for it, and Emily came out of the kitchen, looking toward the counter girl, who pointed her chin toward Paige. "Hey, Paige! Stalking me at work, now?"

Paige chuckled nervously. She took a sip of her coffee, trying to act casual. "So, I was thinking," she began, taking another sip, "I owe you breakfast." Another sip. "So, if you wanted to come over and hang out, watch a movie or something..."

"Your 'roommate' doesn't have another exam to study for this weekend?"

Paige laughed, embarrassed that Emily had seen through the excuse she tried to use at the club. "Yeah, I don't think my roommate will be bothering us, so..."

"So?"

"So, what do you say to hanging out at my place, maybe watching a movie or something?"

Emily sighed, pretending to be annoyed. "You're going to make me sit through a movie first?"

Paige shook her head. She'd gotten used to this kind of joking from Emily. It was actually fun. "A short film, I promise." She held up her thumb and index finger, using them to indicate how short the film would be. "You know, like a quickie cartoon, or something."

"As long as the cartoon's the only 'quickie.'" Paige's eyes went wide when she felt Emily's hand on her ass. Without saying a word, Emily pulled Paige's phone out of the back pocket of her jeans and typed her phone number in. "Text me your address and let me know what time."

"Should I get dinner?"

"Yeah," Emily growled under her breath with a wink. "I'm planning to work up an appetite."

* * *

Paige paced around her apartment, trying to make sure that everything was in order. Once again, Emily had knocked her off of her game. She was used to taking girls home, not to having girls show up at her door. She wasn't sure how she should be dressed when Emily came, or what the protocol was. She breathed in deeply when she heard the doorbell. She would just have to hope that everything was okay.

A smile stretched across Emily's face as the door opened and she got a glimpse of Paige on the other side. "Damn, girl!" Emily crossed her wrists behind Paige's neck and began kissing her. Paige closed the door with one hand and followed Emily's lead, caressing Emily's body as they continued the kiss.

Emily spent some time exploring underneath Paige's short, black satin robe, feeling the lacy material that was hugging Paige's ass before she undid the sash to get a better look at the lingerie that Paige was rocking. As Emily stood admiring Paige's body, Paige unzipped her jeans and went right to work under Emily's panties. Emily moaned and her knees buckled. She struggled to wriggle out of her jeans, but they were too tight. "Paige," she pleaded, and Paige backed off, just long enough for Emily to get out of her flats and her jeans.

"Oh, God - you feel so good!" Paige growled into her ear as she nibbled at it and peppered Emily's lips and neck with kisses. Emily put her hand on top of Paige's, pushing her even deeper and harder inside herself, grinding desperately around her fingers.

It didn't take long.

When Emily collapsed into Paige's shoulders, Paige, her wrist cramping because of the angle, tried to withdraw her fingers, but Emily clamped her thighs around her hand. Paige hung in there until she felt Emily relax her legs, and then she slowly withdrew as she kissed Emily softly on the lips.

"So..."

Whatever Paige was about to say was lost as Emily tackled her onto the couch and started in on her like a wild animal. Emily heard a ringing in her ears as Paige's thighs clapped against them, but it didn't slow her down. Nor did Paige's fist in her hair, going along for the ride as Emily devoured her. Paige finished before Emily had enough; Paige ultimately had to push Emily's head away with a weak, "Please."

Emily wiped her mouth on her arm and kissed her way up Paige's body, careful to avoid body contact with Paige's sensitive region. She lay beside Paige, her head against Paige's chest, as she gently rubbed Paige's abdomen. "Sorry," she offered. "I hope those panties weren't too expensive."

* * *

After their body temperatures cooled down from the exertion, Paige reached for a throw and covered them with it.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

"Not really."

"Hungry?"

"Not really."

"Tired?"

"Not really."

Paige relaxed. After a pause, she tried again. "Want to watch something?"

"Not really."

"Want to move this party to the bedroom?"

Emily sighed resignedly. "Okay - if you don't think the kitchen table will support us!"

* * *

"So, I have to confess, I'm not really all that handy when it comes to cooking," Paige said, before she crawled out of bed the next morning.

Emily gave Paige a glare in disbelief. "You're not seriously going to ask me to cook you breakfast, too."

"No, no! I'll whip up something! I just don't want you to get your hopes up, because my kitchen skills aren't up to par with yours."

Emily tilted her head back and laughed. Stroking Paige's chest, she said, "Paige, I didn't come here for the menu. I'm here for your skills in the bedroom, not your skills in the kitchen - since you flat out refused to fuck me on the kitchen table last night!"

Paige's mouth went wide at that. With a look of determination, she scooped Emily up, hauling her, kicking and screaming, into the kitchen. Before Emily could protest that she was only kidding, the table was squeaking beneath her, and her back was getting burns from rubbing against the cold, varnished surface.

"Oh, God," she said, holding on tight with her arm wrapped around Paige's back, "Spencer would freak if we ever did this to her table!"

Emily flipped over to relieve the friction on her back, crouching on her elbows and knees as Paige leaned in for a taste. Emily, moaning uncontrollably, kneaded her breast with one hand as she reached back with the other to ruffle Paige's hair. "Do you... unh! have any... unh! toys?"

Emily felt Paige's head move away from her. Paige smacked her cheeks and promised, "Be right back!"

Emily worked herself over with her hands to maintain the mood. She quickly hopped off the table and grabbed a cushion from the couch to put under her knees, now reddened from rubbing against the table. Her eyes widened with anticipation when Paige returned with a box of delights. She had a feeling that she was going to be late for her shift at The Brew.


	4. In a Compromising Position

Paige was silently fuming as she sat in math class, eyeing her professor. He was paying a little too much attention to Emily as she sat in the third row. He probably thought that he was being subtle, but he wasn't fooling Paige.

What the hell was it, Paige wondered, about middle-aged men that made them think that checking women out was okay – that Emily would find it flattering to have someone who was probably her dad's age ogling her?

Paige looked at Emily. She seemed unaware of the attention that Dr. Surber was giving her. That, Paige thought, was a good thing. The last thing that Emily needed was to have to worry about how she dressed or behaved in class, for fear that some dirty old dude would be perving on her the whole time.

Or, on the other hand, Paige thought, maybe Emily wasn't oblivious to his lecherous looks. Maybe she had just gotten so used having people drool over her that she didn't let it get to her anymore - hashtag hot girl problems.

Paige shook her head in outrage. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that jerks like that would stare at women like Emily just because of the physical attributes that they were born with. That guys like him would never know Emily's true beauty – her beautiful heart; her unblemished soul. To them, Emily was just eye-candy. Something to look at in class, when they needed a distraction. Something to fantasize about, when they needed to…

Paige slammed her textbook shut at that thought. That got Dr. Surber's eyes off of Emily and onto Paige. Before he could say anything about the disruption, though, she locked in on him with a death glare. He had no way of knowing why she was glaring at him like that, of course, but he was wise enough to look away, quickly.

Paige glanced at Emily and saw that she, too, had reacted to the slammed book. Emily's eyes were asking, "What the fuck?" and Paige, unable to say anything in her defense, because there were several desks separating the two of them, just gave Emily an apologetic shrug.

* * *

A couple of days later, Emily walked past Dr. Surber's office on her way to drop off an assignment for him in the department's mailboxes. She stopped as she passed his door and backed up to take another look. The door was slightly ajar, and there was someone rustling around inside. She pushed the door open a bit and poked her head in.

"Paige? I thought that was you."

Emily took in the state of the small office. Books were lying on the floor and drawers were pulled out from the desk.

"Paige? What the hell is going on in here?"

Paige opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, she felt herself being pulled down onto the desk on top of Emily, who had her by the collar and was angling up to kiss her. Paige caught up with what was going on quickly, and pushed herself in closer between Emily's legs. " _She loves the bad girl_ ," Paige thought with a smirk. She was about to get more aggressive in her response to Emily's impulsive actions when she heard the sound of a older male in the doorway, clearing his throat.

Emily scrambled to her feet, pushing Paige off of her. "Dr. Surber! I'm so sorry! We were just…"

Dr. Surber smirked slyly as Emily fumbled for words. "Girls," he said, smugly condescending, "I would be happy to see you during my office hours. You can find the schedule on the class' web page."

"Yes," Emily said, smoothing her hair back into shape. "We will." She pulled Paige behind her by the hand as she headed for the door with a soft apology for the mess.

Dr. Surber nodded, stepping aside so that they could get past him to the door. He sat in his chair with a lecherous smile for a moment, before he got to work putting his office back together. He was mentally replaying the scene that he had stumbled upon moments earlier – the sort of scene that he would ordinarily have had to resort to premium cable or pay sites to enjoy.

* * *

Paige pulled Emily in for a kiss in the hallway, still on a high from the brief moment of unbridled passion in Dr. Surber's office. Emily angrily shoved Paige off of her. "Get off me, you idiot!"

"Wha?" Paige was confused. After all, her lips were still throbbing from the intensity of Emily's kisses.

"I _saw_ Surber coming down the hall! I _knew_ that there was no way to explain the state of the room, so I had to do something." Paige stood, frozen in place with a stupid look on her face, slowly beginning to understand what Emily was saying.

"You're welcome," Emily said bitterly, turning to walk away.

Paige grabbed for her arm. "Emily! Wait!"

Emily turned around, obviously still seething with anger. "What were you thinking, Paige?"

"I'm _sorry_ ," Paige pleaded. "Just – the way that he was leering at you in class… I just… I guess I lost it."

Now, it was Emily's turn to be confused.

"In class," Paige explained, her voice sounding like a question. She was surprised that Emily didn't know. "All the time, Emily! He gives you these inappropriate looks all the fucking time. Always." Paige scowled, knifing her hand through the air in anger and frustration. "And today…" Paige shook her head. Her face was reddening with rage. She bit her lip. "I don't know. I just reached my limit."

Emily huffed, dropping her shoulders. "Whatever, Paige," she said with a vague wave of her hand. Her expression softened a little. Part of her appreciated the fact that Paige was, in her eyes, at least, defending her honor. On the other hand, she didn't need Paige to defend her – especially when Paige did it in the stupidest way possible.

Paige stood silent in front of Emily for a while, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes, before she dared to ask what she wanted to ask. "Can I see you tonight?" she asked softly.

Paige had never seen Emily so aggressive in public. It moved her. Add on the jolt of adrenaline from Paige's little caper, and she really needed a release.

" _Paige_ ," Emily whined. The look that Paige was giving her was pitiably cute. "It's Wednesday night," Emily pleaded. Paige shrugged her shoulders. "I have _class_ Wednesday night!" Emily's was still whining, but her defenses were starting to crumble.

Paige knew Emily well enough to pick up on the crack in her resolve. She decided to pounce. "I know you do," she said in that low growl that she used when she was trying to be seductive. "That's what I love about you - you have so much class!"

Emily shook her head, unable to resist smiling at that tired, corny line. "Fine, whatever." Paige launched into a spontaneous fist-pump. "But on **one** condition."

Paige nodded eagerly. "Anything, Em!" She meant it. In the desperate state that Emily had gotten her into, she would have said yes to just about anything.

"You have to _promise_ me that you will _never_ do _anything_ so stupid _ever_ again!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Paige nodded eagerly. "I promise, Emily, promise!"

Emily rolled her eyes at Paige's desperation. "Pick me up outside of the history building at 9:00," she sighed.

* * *

Emily's Wednesday night seminar was one of the hardest classes for her to sit through. It only met once a week, but it ran from 6:00 to 9:00, with only a short break somewhere in between. It was just the wrong time of night. If Emily ate before class, she found herself struggling to stay awake for the entire three hours. But, if she waited until after class to eat, she was distracted by her stomach the whole time. She tried bringing a snack to class, but that threw off her dinner afterwards, and she ended up picking over some food when she got home, then lying awake hungry.

So, although she was a good student in most of her classes, the Wednesday night class was a challenge for her. It was particularly challenging that Wednesday night. Emily spent most of the class as she had spent most of the afternoon, trying to process what Paige had done, and why she had done it. She and Paige were friends. Well, buddies. Fuck buddies, to be precise. It was sweet of Paige to try to defend her honor – even if she had done it in the most brainless way possible - but why did Paige even feel the need to defend her?

She looked up to Paige. Even though everyone knew her as a player, and their "relationship," for lack of a better word, wasn't all that deep, Emily saw Paige as kind of a big sister. Well, not in a weird way, but as someone older and more experienced who provided a steady beacon, to help her find her way in her early days of college. And in her early days after Maya. Maybe that's what was going on? Paige had been trying to look after her like a big sister?

There was one problem with that theory: Paige hadn't asked her to come over that night as a big sister.

Emily decided that the only reason that Paige would act out like that was that she saw it as defending her territory. And that thought scared her. She wasn't looking for a relationship, after all. The great thing about her and Paige was that it was simple. They both knew what they wanted.

But Emily couldn't deny that what Paige did for her was… sweet didn't seem to be the right word. Endearing? Noble, perhaps? Whatever it was, she realized that she was grateful. She felt a bit guilty for having been ungrateful when it happened. She was glad that she was going to see Paige after class, so that she could thank her properly - in words, not in Paige's bed. Those were two separate issues.

* * *

When Emily walked out of the history building, she smiled at the sight of Paige holding a single daisy. She walked over to Paige, set her backpack on the ground, and gave Paige a long hug. "Thank you," she said. "I'm sorry that I was ungrateful before, but I've had some time to think, and I appreciate what you were trying to do."

Paige smiled, parting her lips as Emily moved in for a kiss. She had been preparing an apology, hoping that she could get Emily to look past the afternoon's events and get her into the mood, but she could see that Emily was already over it. Still, she felt the need to say it. "I _am_ sorry, Emily. Truly. Even if I was trying to do the right thing, you're right. It was stupid." Emily nodded, wiping Paige's lips with her thumb. "Are you hungry?" Paige asked, as if reading Emily's mind.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I picked up a big salad from Whole Foods?"

Emily smiled, giving Paige a quick peck. "Sounds perfect!"

They started going at it as soon as they got inside Paige's apartment. They weren't sure what had gotten into them, but, for some reason, they were both desperate for each other's body. They never made it out of the living room.

* * *

Paige pulled an afghan from the couch and draped it over the two of them as their breathing started to go back to normal and their bodies cooled down. "You said something about a salad?" Emily asked, lightly stroking bare Paige's chest.

Paige nodded, standing up and putting her shirt back on, so that she was somewhat covered. Emily headed to the bathroom to freshen up quickly before she put her clothes back on. Paige plated up the salad and set it out on the table, returning to the kitchen to get a couple of bottles of water. "Can you stay the night?" she asked evenly, when she got back to the table. "It's getting kind of late."

Emily nodded with a smile. Spencer would understand. She would have to.


	5. Intervention

As the semester went on, the overnight visits at Paige's apartment became a regular weekend thing, and Paige grew to enjoy them. There was a give and take between the her and Emily; a kind of light banter that they developed, like the trash-talk in a game of tennis between two old friends. "Friends" was the key word. There were no strings attached. It was just a bit of fun. And if they felt like getting in a set or two a different partner occasionally, there were no feelings of betrayal or jealousy.

Once Paige had Emily's number, she felt free to text her whenever she felt horny - like those times when Emily showed up to class in something extra tight or slightly short. Or on a Friday night, when it had been a while. Or if Paige was in the grocery store, and the smell of peaches reminded her of the shower after Emily had been there.

Nine times out of ten, when Paige called, Emily was down. (The times when Emily came to class dressed suggestively, the odds were even higher.) Sometimes, they even managed to make it back to one of their apartments - instead of having to settle for a stall in the ladies' room, an empty classroom, or behind the tinted windows of Paige's Jeep Wrangler.

One Friday night, on the way out of class, Paige caught up with Emily. "My place tonight?" It had reached the point between them where it really wasn't much of a question.

"Oh, Paige." Emily's face was dim. "This might not be the best weekend for that."

"I know," Paige said pleasantly. Emily shot her a confused smile. "You only wear that baggy shirt and those stretchy leggings when you're on your period. Not to mention this whole… situation." Paige gestured vaguely at Emily's hair, which was thrown together loosely and held into place with a clip. "Plus, there's that bag of goldfish that you were sneaking handfuls from all period. No pun intended."

Emily, still puzzled, chuckled. "But you want me to come over tonight?"

"Yeah! I was thinking, we could pick up a pizza, some chips, and lots of salty fries from Del Rossi's, then watch some sappy romantic movie and get all emotional…"

Emily gave Paige the skeptical side-eye. "Well, I don't know what your game is, exactly, but count me in, I guess."

* * *

Emily almost talked herself out of taking Paige up on her offer, but sitting there on the recliner, huddled up under a blanket in her favorite, comfortable pajamas and fuzzy slippers, noshing from a big bag of nacho chips, she was glad that she had decided to go.

Paige was stretched out on the couch, reciting along, in an overly dramatic voice, with some of the dialogue from the rom-coms that they were watching. Occasionally, she clapped her hands together and sat up, shouting, "This is my favorite part!"

Emily wasn't in the mood to cuddle in bed that night, and Paige seemed to be fine with that. Even so, Emily was grateful that she didn't have to fall asleep alone. Waking up to the smell of waffles and her favorite French roast coffee the next morning was a bonus. When she made it into the kitchen, she learned that Paige had managed a bit of chocolate – and generous amounts of whipped cream – with the waffles.

The following Friday in class, Emily was dressed casually – but looking hot, in white running shoes, the shortest possible powder blue track shorts, and a white hoodie from the college store. She gave Paige a flirtatious smile as she stepped into the row in front of her and walked a couple of desks over, giving Paige the perfect viewing angle. Before she sat down, she stretched, joining her hands above her head, exposing a sliver of golden skin on the small of her back just above her the waistband of her shorts. She wriggled into her seat and crossed her legs. Over the course of the lecture, she uncrossed and crossed her legs from time to time, rubbing them up and down with her hands on occasion, as if amazed by how smooth they felt.

Paige didn't get a lot of notes from that class.

She wasn't the only one who was distracted by Emily's outfit, and Paige shot their professor an icy glare when she caught him fixating on Emily's thigh, resting atop the other one while Emily idly rocked her leg back and forth. He stuttered over his words for a moment, and he never made the mistake of letting his eyes get caught there again. After walking in on Paige and Emily's little show in his office a few weeks prior, he had no doubts about why Paige was giving him the stink eye.

Emily turned toward Paige with a smirk and a wink of gratitude.

Paige could only imagine what the professor's fantasy was, but she knew that her own fantasy would come alive later that night, in Emily's bed.

* * *

"You got me in trouble," Caleb said, as he and Paige slid into a booth.

"Me? What'd I do now?"

"My girlfriend, Hanna? She's from Rosewood." Caleb let his hands fall onto the tabletop and dropped back against the seat dramatically.

Paige shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, palms up at chest-level. "And?"

"And? Where do you think Emily's from?"

Paige smiled devilishly. "Heaven?"

Caleb just glared.

"Okay, from the way that you're glaring at me, I'm going to guess, also Rosewood?"

"Yes, Rosewood," Caleb said, as if Paige should have learned that by now. "It turns out she and Hanna are friends. So, after their conversations, and Hanna's conversations with Spencer, she calls me up all upset about this player Emily's been hooking up with, and I, like a fool, said, 'Who? Paige?'"

"Dude! Busted!"

"It's not funny," Caleb protested, although Paige clearly disagreed. "Well, you might not think it's so funny after Spencer and Hanna conduct their little intervention."

"What are you talking about?"

"They're going to have a talk with her. Hanna's making me set up a video-conference with her, Spencer, and their friend, Aria."

"Jeez. You make it sound as if I'm some kind of arch-villain. We're just having fun! And Emily's not some naïve little kid! - She's as much of a player as I am."

"Well, that's just it. Evidently, she wasn't always that way. She dated the same girl all through high school. Then, that girl cheated on her, they had a bad break-up, and, all of a sudden, Emily changed."

Paige slumped forward on the table. "Oh God, oh God, oh God... I don't need this in my life. The thing about Emily and me is that it's so uncomplicated. I don't know why that can't just be enough."

"So, you're going to talk to her?"

Paige sneered. "Yeah, right." She wiped her hands in front herself theatrically and dusted herself off. "I'm out. I don't need that kind of drama in my life."

"What if she's developed feelings for you?" Paige shrugged. "Paige... don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't turn her into a bitter little Paige II, sleeping her way through every girl on campus."

"Okay, first of all, I haven't even..." Paige sank back into her chair, her mouth stuck open, when she realized what she was about to say: She hadn't slept with anyone except Emily for the second half of the semester. "Holy shit," she said in a weak, soft voice.

"What? Are you having a little life-moment over there, McCullers?"

"I've got to go." Paige abruptly gathered her things and bolted for the door, as if she were fleeing from a bad hook-up on the morning after.

* * *

Paige shut herself in her bedroom and started scrolling through her contacts, looking for a likely prospect. It wasn't so much that she needed to be with someone; but she felt the desperate need to be with someone who wasn't Emily.

"Ah, Veronica!" she said out loud, before typing out a text.

_**hey, ronnie! remember me? :)** _

It took a couple of minutes for a reply.

_**Well, well. Paige McCullers. Is it last call already?** _

_**ha ha. just thought if you weren't doing anything later...** _

Nothing. Paige got impatient waiting for the reply.

_**i could buy you a drink?  
maybe a movie?** _

Paige appended the cutest emojis she could find. _Ugh. Things were so much easier with Emily._

_**what do you say? ;)** _

Paige could almost hear the sigh in Veronica's response.

_**Fine. Make it dinner & you've got a deal.** _

Veronica... Paige didn't call her "old reliable" for nothing.

Dinner was long. And Veronica actually did make her sit through a movie. And the sex was mechanical. But a great night - or even great sex- wasn't the point. It was a first step, Paige thought; getting back on that horse; reminding herself that Emily Fields wasn't the only ride in town.

* * *

Paige only had to make it through a couple more weeks of math class with Emily. She did her best not to feel guilty whenever Emily walked past with a smile. But Emily seemed totally cool about the sudden drop-off in contact. There were no looks of concern; no texts "just to check in;" no desperate voice-mail messages.

And then the intervention happened. Spencer called Emily over to her laptop, to say hi to Hanna on Skype. Aria was on as well. Emily was excited over the video reunion, until she found out what it was about.

"Paige? How is that any of your business? Besides, I haven't even heard from Paige in three weeks!"

"Aww!" they all said, their voices heavy with pity.

"I hate to say this, Emily," Spencer said in a voice that sounded as if she actually enjoyed saying it, "but I _did_ try to warn you that this would happen."

"What do you mean, you warned me that this would happen? I knew all along that this would happen, Spencer! This was never a relationship - it was just a bit of fun. It's like baseball - you enjoy it till the season's over, and when it's over, it's over."

It was really annoying that the girls refused to believe that Emily was okay. In the end, though, it was just easier to let them claim victory and delude themselves into thinking that their intervention had been a success than to try to convince them otherwise.

* * *

Emily might have been more vigorous in her protests had she known that part two of the plan was "Operation Find Emily a Gal." But when Spencer begged her to come along to double with a cute guy whom she was interested in, Emily shrugged her shoulders and went with it, even though she knew that it was a set up. She hadn't been single in over three years, and, quite frankly, single didn't suit her.

Spencer's friend, confusingly enough, was also named Spencer, though she couldn't have been more different from Emily's roommate. She was less self-assured; constantly hiding behind her hands whenever she spoke or was spoken to. She prefaced all of her statements - and often followed them - with a nervous cough or giggle. There was something that Emily found charming about her, in a sort of maternal way.

Spencer had reddish hair, which she wore in a short, boyish cut, and a ruddy complexion, complete with freckles. She had a full, curvy body that seemed soft and inviting, like a comfortable pair of slippers or a Saturday-morning robe. There was no denying that she was cute, if you were into that type. And, even if Spencer wasn't like Maya or Paige, Emily could definitely see herself being into that type.

They ended up seeing each other again. This time, one on one with Emily, and with slightly less pressure on them, Spencer was more able to relax. Emily found herself enjoying the time that they spent together. It wasn't long before they started holding hands as they walked side by side. Soon after that, they were official.

The sex was... non-existent. They had the occasional make-out session, and things could get heated, but they never got as far as third base. Second base only happened by accident, followed by profuse apologies from Emily or unceasing blushing by Spencer.

Emily was frustrated. She had strong feelings for Spencer - maybe even love - but she also had needs. She got used to self-service.

* * *

Paige, for her part, was back to her old ways, hopping like a rabbit from hole to hole. But, for the first time since she adopted that lifestyle, it seemed empty, somehow. It was kind of like bowling with her buds - sure, it was fun: The thrill of anticipation as she got the ball rolling; the excitement and crash of the score; a few hugs, and maybe some high-fives - and then it was off to the off to the next alley.

Paige sighed. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter.

She found herself missing what she had had with Emily. If she was honest with herself, that was the reason that her new escapades left her flat. With Emily, the sex was off the charts. And, more than that, they _got_ each other. Even if Paige wasn't honest enough to admit an emotional connection with Emily, there was no denying how powerful their physical connection was.

But it wasn't love, to hear Paige tell it. It had nothing to do with feelings. Well, except for that one, _special_ feeling, which no one else had managed to find a way to make her feel.

Paige let out another, deeper sigh and extracted herself from the girl sleeping next to her. She stepped stealthily into her clothes and was on her phone texting Emily before she even made it out of the bedroom.

**hey remember me?**

**paige mccullers... how the hell are ya?  
let me guess: horny**

**ha ha  
but um yeah**

**:)**

**so... you got a couple of hours?  
or more like 6? :D**

**wish i could help ya, kid. but i'm in a relationship now. maybe you saw on facebook...**

**oh, come on, em. i won't tell if you don't... ;) ;) ;)**

**yeah, going to have to pass on that one. i don't play the cheating game.**

Emily couldn't expect Paige to know about her past with Maya. They never talked about that - or about anything personal, for that matter. Still, it kind of stung that Paige would expect that of her. She knew that Paige was a player, but she was surprised to learn that Paige wasn't above cheating.


	6. In the Still of the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... That was kind of a cruel trick, screeching everything to an abrupt halt the way I did in that last chapter. So sorry for that. Next time, I'll at least give you fair warning to fasten your seat belts! Thanks for much for reading! (assuming anyone's still reading... :( )

Emily sat across the table on her date with Spencer with a smile on her face. It was a smile that she had learned from her mother; a smile to cover her inner turmoil. Emily's mind was going a mile a minute.

The thing was, she really liked Spencer. There was just nothing there; there wasn't that spark.

Emily took a sip of her wine as she thought things over. She got why she had her fling with Paige. She just needed to cut loose after she cut _Maya_ loose; to live for herself, and not think about consequences. And she had no regrets. And, in the same circumstances, she would do it again. She would do it again in a heartbeat - and that wasn't just her libido talking, although, given that she and Spencer were still celibate, her libido was going crazy.

She got why she had started dating Spencer, too. Spencer represented an easy win, she reasoned; a safe, uncomplicated relationship in contrast to what she and Maya had become by the end. She and Spencer were friends. Good friends. _Just friends_ , she had to admit _._ Spencer would make a great buddy; amigo; dinner companion; dance partner. But, Emily had to be honest with herself: They had no business dating.

"Listen, Spence..."

"You're breaking up with me?" Spencer chuckled nervously, attempting to make it seem as if she were joking. She herself knew that their relationship wasn't going anywhere. But she really liked Emily, and she was hanging in there as long as she could, even though she had a hunch for quite some time that this day was coming.

Emily said those words which sounded so trite, but which she meant sincerely, "I think we should just be friends." Spencer was doing that smiling-through-sniffles thing that people do when they're trying to be strong. Emily was heartbroken - over the suffering of her _friend_ \- and she reached out to squeeze Spencer's arm. Spencer collected herself, looking up with a smile. "I'll be okay," she assured Emily. "Yeah, we can be friends. I wouldn't want to lose that."

But Emily had the feeling that she wouldn't be hearing from Spencer again.

Emily was jittery for the entire drive home. She kept running her hand through her hair and blowing out puffs of air. She couldn't figure out why this was hitting her so hard. She knew that she had done the right thing. She knew that things weren't working - and were never likely to - with Spencer. She knew that Spencer would be okay. What she didn't know was why her heart felt so heavy - and, yet, so empty at the same time.

Emily was grateful that Spencer - the roommate - wasn't home when she got back. She went straight to her bedroom and lay on her bed, in the dark. It was different than the break-up with Maya. Even though she and Spencer were on good terms when they broke up, it still really, really hurt.

* * *

Paige had a strong feeling that she needed to give Emily a call. It was stupid. It was totally out of the blue. It wasn't as if talking on the phone was something that she and Emily ever did, even when they were seeing each other regularly. Plus, it was a Friday night, and Emily and her girlfriend would probably be out. But she couldn't shake the feeling, so she compromised and texted Emily instead.

Emily sighed when she heard her phone vibrate. She wasn't in the mood to deal with her now ex-girlfriend, but she figured that she owed Spencer that much. Maybe Spencer was just checking to make sure that she had made it home okay.

Emily turned on the light on her night stand and shook the hair out of her face. She grunted when she swiped the phone unlocked and saw who had texted her.

**boy, news really travels fast, i guess. who told you?**

***confused emoji* told me what?**

Emily realized that Paige couldn't have known. She didn't know Spencer, and it was unlikely that the news could've gotten to Paige through a mutual friend that quickly.

As soon as she texted Paige what had happened, her phone rang.

"Paige?"

"Are you okay?"

Emily sighed, sinking down on the bed. "I guess. It's harder than I thought it would be."

"I'm coming over."

Emily assured Paige that she would be okay, and that she didn't need to come over, but Paige would have none of it. "I'm on my way."

* * *

Spencer had made it home by the time Paige made it over, and was comforting Emily. She scowled when she opened the door and saw Paige there. Emily had told Spencer everything - except the part about Paige coming over. "Boy, you don't miss a trick, do you?" Spencer said accusingly.

"Spencer!" Emily cried as she walked up behind her, grabbing Paige by the hand. "She's here as my friend."

Spencer groaned, tossing her head back and rolling her eyes.

Emily headed toward the bedroom, for some privacy. "No," Paige insisted, detouring them toward the couch. "This way, Spencer will worry less."

Paige, truth be told, didn't really trust herself alone in the bedroom with Emily - especially not when Emily was so emotionally vulnerable.

Emily had changed into a mourning outfit, consisting of a pair of low-hanging black yoga pants topped with black bra beneath a collarless light gray sweatshirt that left one shoulder bare. She was hugging herself, holding a small stash of tissues in her left hand. Her eyes and nose were red from crying. She looked exhausted.

Paige set a brown paper bag on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen, returning quickly with a couple of spoons.

When she sat next to Emily on the couch, Emily curled into her, encircling Paige's arm with both of hers. She told Paige everything - from her years with Maya through her time with Spencer. It was the first time they had ever talked about her feelings. It felt weird.

"I just don't know why this is hitting me so hard," Emily said with a shrug. "I mean, it's not as if she broke my heart. And I did the right thing, right?"

Paige explained to her that her pain wasn't about Spencer but about Emily herself; that she was questioning whether or not there was something wrong with her; whether or not she deserved to be loved and to have a real relationship.

And Paige apologized. "If I had known what you had gone through with Maya, I would've handled what we had differently."

"Paige," Emily protested, sitting up a little. She appreciated that Paige was trying to make her feel better, but she wanted Paige - and everybody else, for that matter - to know that what she had done with Paige wasn't a mistake. "I don't regret what we had," she continued. "Not for a minute."

"Oh, neither do I, Emily. To be honest, I kind of miss it. Well, to be honest, I _really_ miss it. But, if I had known about you and Maya, I would've worried that you would turn into someone... like me." Paige sighed, her arm unwittingly tensing under Emily's grasp. "And, well, I'm really glad that didn't happen. Because you're better than that, Emily. And you _do_ deserve love." Paige kissed Emily's forehead. "And love's going to find you.

Emily tightened her grip on Paige's arm and nodded her head against Paige's shoulder with a settled breath. Something about Paige made Emily believe what she had told her - that she was worthy of love, and that love would come in time.

* * *

When Spencer came to check on her roommate, her eyes grew wide at the sight of an open tub of Ben and Jerry's, with ice cream leaking from the lid onto the table. What really had her blood boiling, though, was the sight of Emily and Paige cuddled up, asleep, on the couch; Emily with a smile on her face, and Paige with her head on top of Emily's.

"Okay!" Spencer clapped her hands together loudly. "Up and at 'em, McCullers! Time to crawl back to wherever it is you came from!" The clapping got louder and more obnoxious as Spencer got closer.

Emily woke up confused but unashamed at the way that she had fallen asleep. "Spencer!" she chided, but Paige shook her head.

"No, she's right," she said calmly. "I should really be going."

She gave Emily a hug, and Emily walked her to the door. Emily kissed her gently on the lips. "Thank you for tonight," she said sincerely, placing a hand tenderly on Paige's chest.

"Emily, I mean it. Call me anytime you need to talk, okay?"

Emily nodded. Paige gave her another hug and headed home.

Paige's head was swimming in confusion the entire way. As she pulled her car in the parking lot, she realized that she didn't remember the drive home at all. She took a shower, just to have something to do. As she lay down in bed, she realized that it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Emily didn't wait long to take Paige up on her offer to call anytime. It was actually only a couple of hours after Paige left.

"Hey, were you sleeping?" she asked apologetically, biting her lower lip.

"No, not really."

Emily nodded to herself. Somehow she knew that was the case. "Sorry for calling you. I just... I..."

"I know, Em." Paige's voice was reassuring. "I'm glad that you called. I meant it. You can call me anytime."

Paige stayed on the phone with Emily for almost two hours. She had a hard time hearing her, at times, because Emily, not wanting Spencer to know and worry, was speaking in low, hushed tones. But it wasn't about what Emily was saying. And Paige wasn't saying much at all - just grunting in agreement occasionally. But that was what Emily needed: simply not to be alone.

Paige made a point to call and text Emily from time to time, just to be sure that she was okay. They no longer had math class together, but Paige sometimes stopped by the coffee shop to check on her in person. Eventually, she found out when Emily's break was, and they had coffee once a week.

Emily kept Paige up-to-date on her love life - whom she had seen, how it had gone. Sometimes, she couldn't wait for their weekly coffee break to give Paige the report, and she called Paige the same night. It didn't matter whether or not Paige was alone. She always took Emily's calls. And she never let Emily feel as if she were interrupting.

Paige walked the fine line between being happy for Emily and wishing that Emily weren't dating. She wasn't sure why that was. They were friends. Somehow, that had happened. No longer fuck-buddies; no longer in any kind of relationship; there was no reason _not_ to be happy for Emily.

"Paige," Emily began, after a pause on one of her after-date, after-hours calls to Paige. She was lying on top of her mattress, half dressed for bed, idly running her fingers the length of her dark, raven tresses. "You told me once that you didn't want me to turn out like you?"

"Oh, yeah, Emily." Paige wasn't really in the mood to have her lifestyle come under scrutiny.

"I was just wondering..." Emily wasn't quite sure that she was allowed to ask what she was trying to work up the nerve to ask. "... curious, really... And you don't have to tell me. It's none of my business..."

"How many women I've slept with?"

"Oh, no! Nothing like that." That wasn't her question, but, once Paige said it, all of a sudden, Emily found herself wanting to know.

"No, I was wondering..." - _and this may be an even worse question to ask -_ "what... happened?" Paige was silent, thinking about what Emily meant. "To make you... like that?"

Paige breathed out a huge sigh.

"I'm sorry, Paige. It's none of my business."

"No." It was time that Paige started being open and honest - with herself, first and foremost. "I was... a lot like you. I mean, my situation..." Paige huffed. "You know what, Emily? I don't think I can do this over the phone." She needed to be able to look Emily in the eyes. "I know it's late, but, do you think..."

"Absolutely, Paige. I'll be right over!"

"Well, I was thinking we could maybe grab some coffee? That all-night diner?"

* * *

Paige headed back to her bedroom, doing her best not to make too much noise as she scrounged around for something to wear. She froze when she heard a rustling in the sheets.

"What time is it?"

"It's early, still. Go back to sleep."

But Meghan? Reagan? Fagan? - Whatever her name was, she sat up on one elbow. "This is a new one. Sneaking out of your _own_ house in the middle of the night."

"I just need a cup of coffee," Paige explained, thinking that it would be too cruel to say that she was leaving their tryst to meet someone else. "I'll be back."

"Do you want some company?"

Paige walked over and sat next to the girl in her bed (Tegan?), caressing her cheek. "Maybe when I get back." Sliding her hand into the girl's hair, Paige bent the girl's neck back with a deep kiss. "Get some rest," she whispered as she disentangled her fingers and slipped out of the door.


	7. Indecent Proposal

Emily couldn't help fidgeting in her seat. She wasn't used to seeing Paige act the way that she was acting as they sat across from each other in the booth. Paige was looking at the table as she talked, with her arms forming a protective perimeter in front of her, hugging her coffee cup between her hands.

"I was young, wide-eyed, and innocent, once. And I was with the love of my life. She meant the world to me." Paige scoffed. "And I thought that it was mutual, but..."

 _She cheated on you,_ Emily thought, but she kept silent, letting Paige tell her story at her own pace.

Paige chuckled bitterly. "I thought that we were forever, you know? I thought that I was the one girl who found her soulmate the first time around." Paige sniffled, shaking her head at how naïve she had been. Emily maintained eye contact, her eyes full of empathy. "Turns out," she said, her voice getting high as she fought back tears, "I was just a stop on the highway to her. She went away to college, and I was yesterday's news."

Emily squeezed Paige's arm compassionately. Paige tensed up. "So, that was it. That's when my world changed. You know what they say - the best way to get over one woman..." Paige tilted her head back. "So, that's what I did. And then it became, I don't know - revenge on her? A way to prove to myself that there were women out there who wanted me? A game of conquest..." Paige inhaled sharply, looking up at Emily. She didn't want Emily to think that she had just been another notch on Paige's bedpost. But the look in Emily's eyes showed that she wasn't even thinking about that. She was only thinking about Paige. Paige dipped her head.

"You never dated anybody else?" The thought made Emily sad.

Paige shook her head. "You were the longest monogamous relationship I've had since Terri, and that was..." Paige let it drop. She didn't want to say that it was just hooking up. That would've made Emily sound no better than she, herself, was.

And, deep down, perhaps, Paige was starting to realize that there had always been more to it with Emily than that.

"You know, it's a funny thing, Emily," Paige continued after a deathly pause. "There's a time in life when everyone wants a piece of you. But give it a couple of years, and people start to think about settling down. They want wives and families. Nobody's into the party girls anymore. So, we just fuck ourselves into a stupor, telling ourselves it doesn't matter, 'YOLO.' Trying to convince ourselves that we can keep pushing back that day when the only ones who want us are our house full of cats. Trying to sex away the knowledge that, someday, there will be nothing left of these days except empty memories and regrets."

"Paige," Emily's eyes and her tone were pleading. "Remember what you told me? That I was worthy of love?"

Paige shook her head. " _You_ are. I'm not. Nobody loves a player. That kind of love is for one night only."

"But that's not you, Paige. Not the real you."

"It doesn't matter. Even if someone got to see the _real_ me, I'm still the girl who slept with tons of women. And there's no going back on that. And that's not the kind of girl you dream of marrying and starting a family with, Emily."

"You're going to find someone, Paige." Paige rolled her eyes. "Let's make one of those pacts, where, if we're both not married..."

Paige looked up, her eyes piercing into Emily's. "No, Emily. You grow up and get married. You make some lucky woman the happiest person on earth. Raise your beautiful, perfect kids. Don't even think about staying single."

Emily stood up and gave Paige a hug. She knew that there was no convincing her. Still, before they separated, she whispered, "I'd marry you."

Paige shook her head against Emily's shoulder. "No you wouldn't. I wouldn't let you."

Still in the hug, Emily confessed, "I wouldn't trade what I have with you for anything in the world, Paige McCullers."

"Thanks, Emily." Paige put some distance between them, keeping her hands on Emily's shoulders. "You don't know how much that means."

"I love you, Paige." Emily wasn't sure that she should say it. She knew that she felt it, but she didn't know how Paige would take it. But she decided that Paige needed to hear it.

Paige pulled Emily back in. "I love you, too." She knew that Emily meant that she loved her like a sister. She wasn't sure what the words meant when she, herself, said them. It was true that she loved Emily, but, for Paige, love was like a long-lost relative whom she hadn't seen in years. Her heart still held a dim memory of what love looked like, but her mind had long since forgotten.

The next time Paige stopped by The Brew for Emily's break, everything was back to normal. They fell back into their familiar rhythm, with no further talk of bad decisions, regret, or their feelings for each other.

Eventually, Emily started dating again. Dakotah was outgoing and athletic. Like Emily, she used to swim for her high school team. She and Emily actually met in the pool, although neither of them swam competitively anymore.

Paige was Emily's sounding board as the relationship progressed from hope, to possibility, to light flirtation, to dating.

* * *

"So, how are things with Hanna?"

It took Emily a second to realize that Paige wasn't talking about her friend, Hanna, from Rosewood, but about her girlfriend, whom Paige could never seem to call by her actual name. It was "Wyoming," or "Nebraska," or "Hanna," as in "Hanna Montana." That was the one that stuck.

Emily rolled her eyes as she always did, and then launched into a gushing summary of her relationship. She had come to view Paige as a sort of big sister, and she was happy to be able to talk to her about her love life. She and Paige hadn't really been talking back when Emily and Spencer were together, so this was a new and welcome development.

Emily and Dakotah actually ran into Paige when they were out for coffee after a morning workout in the pool. Emily was proud to introduce Paige to Dakotah – and _vice versa_.

Paige was aloof.

She looked Dakotah up and down as Emily introduced them, but, other than that, she wouldn't make eye contact at all with her. The whole thing was awkward and uncomfortable. After Paige left, Emily squeezed Dakotah's hand and assured her that Paige wasn't ordinarily like that; that she must have been having a bad morning.

The next day, when Paige met Emily on her break, Emily greeted her pleasantly. "So?" she said, leaning in, waiting to hear what Paige thought of her girlfriend.

"So?" Paige was on the defensive. She knew that she had been bad.

Emily, reading Paige's reaction, told her that it was okay. "I already apologized to Dakotah for you."

"Apologized for me? _Idaho_ 's the one who should apologize – for that hair!" Paige was trying to pass it off as a joke, but the bitterness in her tone was unmistakable.

Things only got only got worse from there.

" _Dakotah_ ," Emily chided sharply. "Would it kill you, just once, to call my girlfriend by her real name?"

The word "girlfriend" hit Paige like a dagger.

Emily ended up returning from her break early, leaving Paige at the table with her hands raised and a "What did I do?" expression on her face. She texted Emily later, but her apology was snarky and sarcastic, so Emily didn't bother to respond. When Paige called to offer a more sincere apology, Emily let it go to voice-mail. Paige didn't think that she could explain herself in a message, so she ended the call.

And that was the end of their late-night phone conversations and their afternoon coffee breaks.

* * *

Emily was excited for her date with Dakotah. They had been going together for a little over a month, and they both knew where things were headed. It was fairly certain that it was going to happen that night. Emily was humming to herself as she got ready, applying scents in strategic places, and making sure that not a hair - _any_ hair - was out of place. She wanted everything to be perfect. Spencer got up from studying on the couch and gave Emily a hug on her way out. Even if Emily hadn't said anything, Spencer would have been able to tell that it was the night, just by the way that Emily had been buzzing around the apartment.

"Go get her," Spencer smiled.

Emily squeezed Spencer's bicep. "Thanks, Spence!" Throwing her head back, Emily let out a squeal, shaking her fists from side to side at chest-level.

Spencer patted her on the back, giving her a slight shove. "I won't wait up!" she yelled cheerily as she closed the door.

* * *

Emily and Dakotah had been impatient to get to the restaurant, to get through dinner, and to get back to Dakotah's place. Once there, though, they slowed things down. They were sitting on the couch, facing each other, taking sips of wine when it started. Dakotah leaned in and kissed Emily, clashing tongues with her as her hand started massaging Emily's breast. Emily moaned into the kiss and the contact, her body involuntarily undulating off the couch. Dakotah took the cue and reached under Emily's skirt. Emily's head fell back against the couch and she bit her lip, moaning. Her hand found the back of Dakotah's head, and she grabbed a fistful of hair as Dakotah went to work on her neck and collar.

After a moment's hesitation, Dakotah brushed Emily's thong to the side and worked a finger inside. All of a sudden, everything shifted, and it was _Paige_ attacking Emily's neck; _Paige's_ hand making Emily's nipples erect; _Paige's_ steady finger searching for Emily's spot. This realization kicked Emily into another gear. She took _Paige's_ hand and plunged it deeper into herself, her hips meeting every thrust. _Paige_ sensed the change and grew more aggressive and focused. Emily's body was quivering. She dug her nails into _Paige_ 's back and moaned out her name - _"Paige!"_

And everything stopped.

"Oh, God! Shit - ' _Dakotah_!' I'm _so, so_ sorry! It's just..."

Emily was able to explain that Paige had been the only person whom she had been intimate with since the beginning of the school year. And Dakotah genuinely understood how, in the moment, an old familiar name might sneak out. She forgave Emily. But the moment had passed.

"Should I..." Emily gestured toward the door.

"No, you're fine." Dakotah clicked on the TV as background. "Let's just cuddle."

Dakotah relaxed her body into Emily's, and Emily tried not to let her body be as tense as she felt. She didn't like lying to Dakotah. But to tell the girl the truth - that she had seen Paige when they were making love - would have devastated her, and destroyed whatever chance they had at a relationship.

The relationship took a giant step backwards after that night. Dakotah got over the incident, but Emily couldn't. She was overwhelmed with guilt over what felt like cheating on her girlfriend. And she was haunted by fear - fear about what it meant that she saw Paige when she was making love; fear that she wouldn't be able to stop it from happening again.

It wasn't long before Dakotah broke things off. "It's just not working," she told Emily, her eyes full of regret.

"Dakotah, I am really, really sorry," Emily pleaded.

Dakotah nodded. "It's okay. I understand." With a sigh, she added softly, "Call me when you get over your ex."

Emily sighed. "Paige and I were never..."

"I know," Dakotah said with a weak smile. She'd heard that story before. "Call me," she repeated, "if you ever feel ready to move on from her."

* * *

Emily punched up Paige's contact a half dozen times, swiping it away each time. How could she talk to Paige about it? What could she possibly say, when Paige asked why they broke up? _I couldn't stop thinking about you?_ You don't throw aside your relationship for your fuck buddy. _Ex_ fuck buddy. Emily let out a loud frustrated groan. She hated herself for what she was about to do. She picked up her phone one final time and let the call go through.

Emily fully expected the call to go to voice mail. It had been so long since she and Paige had talked. She was working on coming up with some kind of explanatory message to leave. When she heard a groggy "Hello," she froze. All she could manage was a weak, "Hi."

Paige pushed the hair out of her face, stifling a yawn. "Are you okay?"

When she heard Paige express concern for her like that, Emily broke. "No," she whined. "I don't know..."

"Where are you?"

"I'm okay, Paige." Emily felt guilty, knowing that Paige would have come over to her house – or would have gone wherever Emily was to get her back home safe. Whatever she needed.

"What happened, Emily?"

"Dakotah and I... we broke up."

Paige collapsed into her mattress, rubbing her forehead. "Man, that really sucks."

Emily sighed. "I know that you weren't her biggest fan. But the break-up wasn't her fault."

"Listen, Emily, I'm sorry about that. I really am. And I know how much she means to you, so…"

Paige could hear Emily trying to compose herself. She gave her the space to do so, remaining silent, occasionally clearing her throat subtly, so that Emily would know that she was still there.

"Paige," Emily said weakly, "don't dismiss what I'm going to ask you. Promise me that you'll listen to what I say, okay?"

"Of course, Emily. You know that I'd do anything for you."

"Would you sleep with me?"

Paige did a double-take. "Have you been drinking?"

"No!" That question got Emily upset. "Would you just listen?" Emily told Paige, in graphic detail, why she and Dakotah had broken up. She told her how she had begun to fear that the same thing would happen again. And she told her that the only way that she could get it out of her system was to sleep with Paige again, to get some kind of closure.

Paige was dying on the inside. It felt like being ripped in two. Her body still ached for Emily's; if this had happened before that night when she and Emily had their after-hours chat in the diner, she would have found a way to convince herself that what Emily was asking was reasonable - and even that it would be a good thing for Emily. But she loved Emily too much to let her make that mistake. "Maybe you just need to sleep with someone else, to prove to yourself that you won't have those thoughts?" It sounded crazy even as Paige said it.

The phone went silent for a long time.

"Emily?"

"Don't tell me what I need, Paige."

Emily, sad and terribly hurt by what Paige had said, ended the call.


	8. In a State of Confusion

When Emily woke up the next morning, her head was foggy with a hangover, but her thinking was decidedly clearer. She knew that Paige had done the right thing. Sleeping with her wasn't the solution. The unfortunate thing was, Emily didn't know what the solution was. She just knew that what she had with Dakotah was real, and that, when the time came, all that she could see was Paige. And she didn't know how to fix that.

Emily let out a frustrated groan. Paige had ruined sex for her. She was now paying the price for all those booty calls from first semester. At the time, she thought that her hook-ups with Paige were totally harmless fun, with no consequences. But, as it turned out, there was a price to pay for them, after all. And she was paying it now. Dearly.

As much as Emily hated to admit it to herself, she was beginning to realize that her friends had been right all along. What she and Paige had was more than just a bit of sex - to Emily, at least. For her, she now realized, there was an emotional component, as well. And, perhaps, that was why she wanted one more time with Paige; break-up sex, as it were, to close that chapter of her life. With all of Emily's girlfriends, there had been a formal break-up; a point at which they were clearly over. Granted, she and Paige had never dated; still, Emily that kind of line in the sand to mark when they stopped being whatever it was that they were together. There had been nothing; no discussion, no closure. They just ended, somehow, and, somehow, they both knew it. One day, they were; the next day, they weren't.

Except, Emily realized, it had never really ended. So, maybe what she needed from Paige was not closure, but space. That was something that they never had. They hadn't been together sexually since the first couple of months of the school year, and there had been brief periods since then when there was no contact between them, but in reality, Emily hadn't been apart from Paige for very long at all. Because, in the middle of those long, lonely nights when she needed a release, it was always Paige dominating her thoughts and helping to get her through the night. And when Emily broke up with Spencer - and with Dakotah - it was Paige who was there for her.

_Paige was always there for her._ It was almost as if they were…

Emily rubbed her palms into her forehead. She was obviously still not thinking straight. It was crazy to think that she and Paige were, somehow, meant to be. She and Paige were friends. Great friends. And she loved Paige. She knew that she did. She had gotten a glimpse behind the mask of "Player Paige" and found a loving, caring, soul there. She loved Paige, but she wasn't _in love_ with Paige. She cringed at that old cliché as soon as it passed through her mind.

Emily groaned in frustration. She reached for her phone, to check what time it was. 9:15. She sat up in bed. She needed to talk to someone. She punched up Paige's number without realizing that she was doing it; purely out of habit. Paige had become the one whom she always called when she needed to talk. When she realized what she had done, she canceled the call immediately. This obviously wasn't a situation that she could talk through with Paige.

Paige, meanwhile, hadn't been able to sleep after Emily hung up on her. She was worried for Emily's safety; – her emotional safety. She was really worried that Emily would take her advice and go sleep with someone, just to prove that she could. For some reason, Paige found herself feeling a little possessive over that thought. She had a hard time admitting that to herself, and an even harder time understanding why she felt so possessive. Ultimately, though, she couldn't deny that it was what she was feeling.

Paige composed about a hundred texts to Emily, each time swiping them away unsent; each time unable to keep herself from typing in a new one. She paced around her empty bedroom, throwing her arms up in the air and muttering to herself. She made some breakfast, but ended up throwing most of it in the disposal, finding that she had no appetite. She took a shower - the longest shower of her life - but even that didn't clear her mind. She decided to try to sleep again. It only took a few minutes of lying restless in bed before she finally admitted to herself that she wasn't going to get any sleep until she talked to Emily. Reluctantly, and only after convincing herself that Emily probably wouldn't take the call anyway, she picked up her phone. At least she could leave a message, and Emily could hear the concern in her voice as she said what she needed to say. She looked at the time. It was 9:15. She stood up, braced herself, and hit "Call."

Emily picked up on the first ring. Her phone was still in her hand from the call to Paige that she had just canceled. She was half-worried that the call had actually gone through, and Paige was calling back to make sure that she was okay.

She could feel her hand shaking as she held the phone up to her ear.

Paige, surprised at how quickly Emily picked up the phone, and not having given any real thought to what she wanted to say to her, just let out a quick, forced, "Hi," and waited to gauge Emily's mood.

Emily echoed Paige's hi, and, then, the two of them spoke at the same time:

"I'm sorry about last night."  
"Thank you for last night."

"What?"  
"What?"

Once they got over their initial confusion and their mutual apologies, they began to talk through what had happened the night before. Emily acknowledged that Paige was right; that she hadn't been thinking clearly. She appreciated the fact that Paige hadn't taken advantage. Paige, for her part, apologized for being insensitive. She knew that, deep down, Emily didn't really believe that one more time would get Paige out of her system, and yet she had plunged ahead like Mr. Fix-it, determined to solve all of Emily's problems.

It wasn't long before the phone call turned into an actual conversation, the two of them just talking, the way that they used to. There was no particular theme to their talk. They we're just talking because neither of them wanted to hang up; neither one felt like being alone.

Emily had a pretty good idea what Paige was wearing: That faded pair of navy sweatpants with the "AF" logo on the thigh that was barely readable anymore. The sweats were falling apart, but Paige wouldn't throw them away, insisting that they were perfectly broken in. And she probably had on that gray sweatshirt from her high school field hockey team – the one that was a couple of sizes too big. Paige usually didn't wear a bra under it, giving Emily the occasional peek at the goods when she angled her frame in a certain way. Emily shut down that train of thought immediately, though.

Emily was on her bed with her phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder as she sat, one leg tucked under, leafing through a magazine, talking and laughing with Paige. "Whoops!" she exclaimed all of a sudden, stroking her belly.

She could hear the smile in Paige's voice when she asked what was going on.

Emily laughed. "My stomach just rumbled. Like, really loud! I can't believe that you didn't hear it through the phone!"

"Oh... Hey, I'm sorry, Em! I didn't mean to keep you on the phone for so long!"

"Why? How long have we been on the phone?" Emily squinched her forehead and moved her phone in front of her face, first gasping, then laughing when she saw that it was a little after 1:00. "Oh my God, Paige! I had no idea that we'd been talking so long!"

"Yeah – I'm sorry."

"No – _thank you_ ," Emily said, her voice becoming deeper with sincerity. "You don't know how much I needed this." Paige chuckled nervously at that, so, to take it down a notch, Emily laughed. "You always know just when to call, don't you, Paige McCullers?"

"Hey," Paige said softly, "I'm always here. Whenever you need me."

"I know that, Paige. Thanks."

There was an awkward silence, mercifully interrupted by another rumble from Emily's stomach. "Oops! There goes Mount Vesuvius again!" Emily said with a hearty laugh. "I'd better go feed the beast!"

"See, I was smart," Paige boasted. "I ate before I called!"

"Yeah," Emily deadpanned, folding the magazine closed and jumping off of the bed, pulling her shirt down over her thighs as she headed to the kitchen. "Bad planning on my part not to have eaten before you surprised me with this marathon of a phone call." Paige heard the sound of water running as Emily washed her hands in the kitchen sink. It made her happy to know that the conversation was going to continue, even though Emily had gotten up to make herself something to eat. "What did you eat?" Emily asked as she wiped her hands on a towel.

"Oh, you know me, and what a great cook I am. Toast... Some grapes that didn't look too skeevy... And… uh… a beer." Paige mumbled the last confession.

Emily was leaning into the fridge, contemplating her options. She straightened up and let out a laugh when she heard Paige's breakfast choices. "Well, you're going to have to let me come by and make you a _real_ breakfast sometime, McCullers! By the sound of it, I'm going to have to do some grocery shopping for you, too!"

Paige liked the sound of that. _Come over and make me breakfast, Emily._

_Better yet, stay over, and make me breakfast in the morning._

* * *

Paige enjoyed being back in the groove with Emily. It felt good to be able to drop by the coffee shop and just hang out with her again. Plus, the phone calls were back. Paige really enjoyed those: Lying in bed late at night, listening, laughing, lingering.

Deep down, Paige knew that Emily would never take her - a girl like her, player Paige - seriously as girlfriend material. But at least they had _something_. She was Emily's friend; confidante. It was better than nothing, she tried to convince herself. Sometimes, though, she felt that it would be easier to have nothing at all with Emily than to be so close to her and yet so far away.

Paige had begun to back away from her active - sexually active - social life. She found that she just wasn't in the mood anymore. Caleb noticed the change. "I don't know," she told him, "maybe I'm growing up. I have different goals; different needs."

Caleb had a pretty good idea what Paige's needs and goals were. She pretty much only talked about one thing - or, rather, one person. But it was hard for Paige to be honest with Caleb. And, if being honest with Caleb was hard, being honest with Emily was impossible. Emily, after all, hung up on Paige, when Paige told her that she wouldn't sleep with her. Even though Emily had apologized, and they had talked things through, Paige was sobered by the knowledge that, when it came down to it, Emily only thought of her for one thing.

Well, two things. Paige's only options with Emily were friend-zone, or friends with benefits. Paige longed for the opportunity that Spencer and Dakotah had had. If she ever had a shot like that, there was no way that she would ever let Emily go.


	9. In the Limo

"It sucks being single this time of year, that's all I'm saying," Emily lamented into her phone with a sigh. "All anyone's talking about is the Spring Formal. Even Spencer's getting all geeked out about it. She dragged me out dress shopping with her yesterday."

"Spencer." Paige scoffed at the mention of Emily's roommate's name.

"Oh, come on, Paige. I wish you two could get over this... thing you have with each other!"

"Hey," Paige protested, "I don't have a thing! _I'm_ not the one who forbade you to see _her_!"

"Paige... Spencer never... Ugh! You two are so much alike, I swear! If you just got to know each other..."

"Yeah, yeah." Paige had heard that song before. But she liked the way that Emily's voice sounded when she got all worked up about things like that, so she didn't mind pushing her buttons every once in a while. "Whatever you say, Emily. So, did you find anything?"

"For her? Yeah. She found a cute little dress. Shows off the legs, so, you know. Alex will be happy." Emily shrugged her shoulders.

"Did you find anything that _you_ liked?"

Emily sighed. "I guess. I mean, I saw a couple of cute dresses, but…" Emily gestured in the air with her hand and let it flop back down onto the bed with a groan. "Unngh! It's just really depressing even looking at all those beautiful dresses when you're not going, you know?" She tried to laugh it off, to keep herself from getting too down.

"You're not going?"

Emily frowned. "Spencer said that I could go with them," she droned, "but, come on. I mean, who wants to be a fifth wheel?"

Paige closed her eyes tight and squeezed her hand into a fist. She knew that she wasn't the kind of girl that someone - especially not someone like Emily - would take to something like the Spring Formal. "I could… go with you… If you wanted, I mean." Paige chuckled. It had to be better than staying home alone, Paige reasoned.

Emily pumped her fist, holding the phone away from her face as she whispered, "Yes!" Before Paige had the chance worry about the awkward pause in response to her offer, Emily put the phone back to her lips and said, "Really?" It came out more high-pitched and squeaky than Emily was expecting.

"I would love to take you, Emily," Paige confirmed with a light laugh, emboldened by Emily's apparent enthusiasm.

"I'd love that, too, Paige." Emily smiled before she tilted her head and confessed, "I was hoping that you'd ask me."

* * *

"Emily, no!" Spencer's voice was urgent and disapproving. "I thought that you were over that little phase in your life!"

"Ugh! God, Spencer! Paige is my friend! You _know_ that! And she asked me _as a friend_! She knew that I didn't want to go alone."

"But you don't have to go alone! I told you! You could go with Alex and me!"

Emily rolled her eyes.

"All I'm saying is that it's a _really_ bad idea, Emily!"

"It's really not, Spencer."

"Couldn't you go with Dakotah – or the other Spencer?"

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. Spencer knew that she had long since broken up with those girls. And Emily was pretty sure that they were dating again anyway. Rather than get into all of that, she shrugged and simply said, "They didn't ask me. Paige did." Spencer opened her mouth to reply, but Emily cut her off. "And I _wanted_ to go with her, Spencer."

Spencer groaned. She knew that she wasn't going to win this war of words with Emily. "Just promise me," she said, annoyance filling her tone, "that, if someone else asks you to dance, you'll dance with her."

Emily nodded her head. She rolled her eyes, and she was still scowling as she nodded, but she was tired of the conversation, so she promised Spencer, to put the subject to rest. She was much more interested in applying her energy to preparing for the formal – planning her wardrobe, her hair, and her make up.

* * *

Paige strode up to Emily's apartment when the big night finally came. They could have shared the limo with Spencer and Alex, but Paige insisted on renting one herself. She knew how Spencer felt about her, and she didn't want Emily to feel awkward or uneasy on the ride to the venue.

Spencer answered the door, still putting an earring in, and ushered Paige inside. She nodded in the general direction of the couch, saying that Emily would be right out. She didn't give away much in her tone, but Paige was distrustful of how Spencer felt about the fact that Paige was taking Emily, even though Emily had very steadfastly assured her that Spencer was fine with it.

Paige was more than a little nervous as she waited for Emily. She drummed her fingers on her knees, pausing only occasionally to pull imaginary lint off of her lapels.

When she heard Emily's heels clattering down the hall, she stood up, smoothing out her slacks. Once Emily came into view, Paige almost fell back down into the couch. Emily was positively glowing. Her demure smile was radiant, competing with the chain around her neck. She was wearing a loose-fitting draped halter top. It was a deep red, with a deep plunge down the front and the back. It was paired a short, matching skirt that showed off Emily's legs, swishing sensually as she walked. Her hair was down, thrown over to one side, where it fell in curves over her left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder bare.

Emily paused a few paces away from Paige and looked down at her dress, then up at Paige, expectantly. "Wow," Paige said, looking Emily up and down. "You look... Wow."

Emily took in the sight of Paige, in black tailored slacks and a tuxedo shirt under a bolero jacket, and gave her a hug. "You look pretty 'wow' yourself!"

Paige extended her arm and Emily took it as they headed out to the car.

* * *

Paige was feeling uneasy. The feeling only got worse as the limousine got closer to the venue. Everyone was going to be there - including many of her past mistakes. It wasn't fair that Emily was going to be judged for the sins of the girl she came with.

Emily picked up on the fact that Paige was slightly off. It made her uneasy as well. She knew that dates like this - couples' things - weren't Paige's style. She squeezed Paige's hand gently. "Is everything okay?"

Paige smiled and nodded her head before she decided to come clean. "Emily, there are probably going to be some people there who still know me as 'Player Paige.' So, when they see you with me... you know." She dipped her head.

Emily broke into a dazzling smile. "They're going to be insanely jealous of me?"

Paige looked away, scoffing to herself. "Of me," she muttered under her breath, thinking that Emily wouldn't hear.

Emily leaned over into Paige's line of sight. "Of _us_ ," she corrected.

* * *

"Dancing's not really your thing," Emily observed, talking a little louder, so that she could be heard over the music as she and Paige gyrated around on the dance floor.

"That bad, huh?"

"No, not at all!" Paige was actually more than holding her own on the dance floor. "I just remember you told me that, once."

"I guess I never had a partner like you before."

Emily swatted Paige, laughing heartily. "Oh, stop it with the flattery, Paige McCullers!"

But part of Emily, a very big part, wanted to believe the flattery. And everything else about the night. Paige was being the perfect date, very attentive and very responsive. The rule for the evening, apparently, was, "Whatever Emily wants." Emily had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't a real date. But she decided to make the most of it. She really was having a good time.

Emily felt guilty for breaking her promise to Spencer that she would dance with someone else. It wasn't that she was avoiding the other girls. She was just having so much fun with Paige that, before she knew it, they were announcing the last dance. And there was no way on earth that Emily was going to give the last dance to anybody except Paige.

Paige kept holding her tighter as they shuffled back and forth in their small space on the dance floor. Her arms felt so strong around Emily, and her body seemed the perfect fit, as if Paige's body had been molded for the sole purpose of cradling Emily's. And the vocalist in the background seemed to be singing the very thoughts running through Emily's head:

_Kissing you is not what I had planned_   
_And now I'm not so sure just where I stand_   
_I wasn't looking for true love_   
_But now you're looking at me_   
_You're the only one I can think of_   
_You're the only one I see_

_All I need is just a little more time_   
_To be sure what I feel isn't all in my mind_   
_'Cause it seems so hard to believe_   
_That you're all I need_

_Yes it's true we've all been hurt before_   
_But it doesn't seem to matter anymore_   
_It may be a chance we're taking_   
_But it always comes to this_   
_If this isn't love we're making_   
_Then I don't know what it is_

_No stars are out tonight_   
_But we're shining our own light_   
_And it's never felt so right_   
_'Cause girl the way I'm feeling_   
_It's easy to believe that you're all I need_

Emily was still on a high on the ride home, remembering how comfortable it had felt to be in Paige's arms - all throughout the evening, but especially during that last dance. She was leaning into Paige, softly singing, over and over, the only words that she could remember from the last song, "All I need is just a little more time." She was holding Paige's right hand with her left, drawing shapes on Paige's wrist with the finger of her other hand, wishing with all her might for "just a little more time" - for her and Paige, and their one perfect evening.

* * *

Paige never wanted to wake up from her dream. She pressed her luck by leaning over and giving Emily a kiss. Emily responded, and the kiss got deeper. It wasn't long before their hands started roaming, the reflexes that they had forged in the earlier days of their relationship kicking in. Paige blew out a huff of frustration mixed with relief when the car pulled to a stop and she heard the driver getting out to open the door, signaling that they were back at Emily's place.

Paige walked Emily to the door of her building, still holding her hand. She turned to face her, wondering whether it would be going too far to give her a kiss good-night. Before she could make a move, Emily tilted her head and asked, "Do you want to come up? Spencer's away for the night with Alex…" The words left her mouth before she realized what they sounded like. She only mentioned that Spencer was away because she didn't want to be alone just yet. To make matters worse, though, when she looked down at her hands, she saw that she had been fiddling with the sides of Paige's jacket. She pulled her hands away quickly and attempted to backtrack from her last statement. "I mean… I'm not inviting up you because Spencer's not home… I just…" _really need a little more time._

Paige looked at her shoes and then back to the limousine, running her fingers through her hair. "Yeah," she concluded, "I could come up for a minute."

* * *

When Emily woke up, she was still in her outfit from the dance, curled into Paige's chest on the couch. Paige's jacket was hanging on the back of the armchair, and Emily's hand was on Paige's shirt. She gave Paige's breast a playful squeeze to wake her.

"Hey," Paige said, her voice groggy as she took in her surroundings.

"Hey. Not the first time we've fallen asleep on this couch, eh?" Emily was trying to keep things light.

Paige chuckled. "I guess not."

Emily bit her lip, guiltily. "Do you think the limo driver stayed out there all night?"

"Yeah," Paige smirked. "I told him to keep the motor running." Emily chided Paige with a more aggressive squeeze of her breast, and Paige confessed. "I texted him when you went to make coffee. He had already swiped my credit card, so..." she said with a shrug. "I figured I could always catch the shuttle back to my place. Or the drunk bus."

Emily, still curled into Paige, gave her a long kiss on the cheek. "Thanks," she said, with a sincere look. "Thank you for taking me to the formal."

Paige smiled. "My pleasure."

Emily leaned in and gave Paige another lingering kiss, this time, on her lips. Paige, when she felt Emily's tongue against her lips, pulled away, putting a hand on Emily's chest to create some distance. "Emily… I don't think…"

Emily sighed forlornly, sinking back into the couch and looking at her hands. Her hair descended like a veil, shielding her expression from Paige's eyes. Her voice was soft and sad. "Couldn't we just pretend, just for a little while longer, that you took me to the dance because you wanted to, not just because you felt sorry for me?"

"Hey." Paige lifted Emily's head by the chin, forcing her to look her in the eyes as she closed the distance between them. "I don't have to pretend."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song they danced the last dance to was "All I Need," by Jack Wagner. By the way, this fic was originally going to be called "Call of Booty" until I sketched out this chapter and started looking for a song for the last dance. It just seemed like the perfect phrase to describe their journey from what they thought they needed to what they ultimately realize they actually need...
> 
> And, don't despair, Spoby fans, I'm saving Toby for later in the story.
> 
> Finally, because I don't say this enough, thanks so much for reading! It really means the world to me. :)


	10. In the Cruel Light of Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of reviewers commented on how different Emily is now from the bold, confident Emily in the early chapters. I think the difference is that, back then, she didn't have anything to lose; it was just about sex, and she knew that what they had wasn't forever. Now that she has feelings, though, she's walking on eggshells, afraid that she'll do the wrong thing and lose Paige. But we should see her confidence return when (spoiler alert) she finds out how Paige really feels about her...
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Emily was still awake long after Paige had fallen asleep. Her mind was racing, and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't slow it down.

The Spring Formal with Paige had been perfect; like a dream come true. And the sex afterwards was as incredible – as it always had been, back when their relationship was just sex. She and Paige seemed to pick up right where they had left off, without missing a beat. And, yet, it was better somehow, this time. Emily tried to convince herself that it was because she had been celibate for so long, but there was no denying the fact that this time was more meaningful, because, for the first time, it wasn't just about the getting each other off. This time, Emily had feelings for Paige, and, even if they were one-sided, the feelings were undeniably there, magnifying and enhancing every aspect of their coming together.

But, for all that, Emily was kicking herself for being so stupid. She couldn't believe that she had let herself ruin everything by trying to turn the night into an actual date. Paige had asked her out only because Emily all but begged her to. They had developed a good friendship – so good that Paige was willing to take her to the Formal so that she didn't have to go alone. And she had to spoil it by taking things just one step too far.

Emily knew that Paige hated relationships; that she liked everything simple and uncomplicated. Things had always been free and easy between them. Now, everything was going to be awkward and bad.

Even though Emily had come to realize that she wanted Paige as more than just a friend or a friend with benefits, she also realized that she definitely didn't want anything less than that. And, if the only way to be with Paige was to be free and easy, then she would go back to being the perfect friend-with-benefits again. Some of Paige was better than none of Paige, she told herself. Bad breath is better than no breath at all.

So, when Paige woke up, Emily was on her best friend-with-benefits behavior. She wasn't awkward or tentative or clingy. She put on a performance that would have fooled even her closest friends.

But Paige was different. Paige knew her too well.

"Is everything okay?"

"You know, you don't have to keep asking me that, Paige."

"I don't know… You just seem a little… off."

"Maybe it's because you fucked my brains out." _Oh, shit! Don't go overboard, Emily! Paige will get weirded out and leave._ "So, what are you doing tonight – or should I ask, _whom_ are you doing tonight?"

Paige laughed nervously as Emily playfully nudged her in the ribs with her elbow, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. After an interminably awkward pause, Paige admitted, "I don't really do that anymore." She shrugged. "I guess I'm growing up, maybe."

It made her heart sink, a little, to know that, to Emily, she was still that girl.

"Well, if you need some practice to get back into the swing... no pun intended!" Emily gave Paige a sly wink and an over-the-top seductive smile.

Paige chuckled nervously. "Well, I should probably get going," she said, uncomfortably pushing her fingers through her hair. She could see how awkward this was for Emily, so she decided to let her off the hook. She was totally second-guessing her decision from the night before. She had let herself get caught up in the moment - in all of the moments. But she wasn't Emily's date - and she knew that. And, now, Emily was going out of her way to remind her of their former relationship, to make sure that she didn't get the wrong idea about why Emily had asked her to stay.

_This was just about sex, Paige.  
_ _You're not her girlfriend._

It hurt like hell to be on the receiving end of that sentiment.

Emily walked Paige to the door, trying desperately to think of something to say to undo the damage that she had obviously done. When Paige reached for the doorknob, tipping her chin in good-bye, Emily put her hands on Paige's shoulders. "Thanks again for last night. And for staying the night," she said softly. She leaned in to give Paige a kiss. She was going to shove her tongue down Paige's throat, to give her something to remember her by, but, in the end, she just placed a gentle kiss on Paige's cheek. Paige cupped the spot with her hand and dipped her head shyly. There was something about the tenderness of Emily's kiss and the words that came before it that made Paige forget herself.

"You never did come over to make me that breakfast you promised me," she said softly, her hand still clutching the doorknob.

Emily hadn't forgotten the remark that she made when they spent that morning on the phone, even though it had been a few weeks ago. Paige had never brought it up, so Emily assumed that she had forgotten.

"Just tell me when," she replied with a warm smile. Paige nodded, smiling back. She pulled Emily in, intending to give her a good-bye kiss. She chickened out at the last minute and gave her a hug instead, both of them sighing at the familiar feeling of comfort in the other's arms. As they separated, Emily kissed her cheek again, and Paige nodded again.

"I'll call you."

* * *

True to her word, Paige called that week to collect on her breakfast, arranging for Emily to come by on Friday. Emily was happy for an excuse to spend the night. And as the weeks went by, they kept finding more excuses; a restaurant that one of them wanted to try, or a movie that one of them wanted to see - it didn't really matter what the excuse was. In fact, one Friday night, Emily just showed up at Paige's door. When Paige opened it, Emily didn't bother to ask whether or not Paige had any other plans, and Paige didn't bother to ask whether she and Emily had made plans that she forgot about. She just ushered Emily inside, took her overnight bag back to the bedroom, and ordered pizza.

Somehow, they had fallen back into their their earlier pattern of friends with benefits, although, this time, neither one of them was satisfied with that. They both wanted more, but they both were afraid of upsetting the balance and scaring the other one off by admitting their true feelings.

* * *

One Saturday morning, as she hugged Emily good-bye, inhaling her scent, Paige gave in to a moment of vulnerability and whispered, "Oh, I wish you didn't have to leave so soon." She rubbed Emily's arm up and down as she said the words.

"I don't have to," Emily replied, her tone upbeat. She thought that Paige was talking about sex, but, frankly, she was glad for any excuse to stay with her a little longer.

They ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in bed. Emily was under the covers, facing away from Paige, leaning on her elbow with her head resting on her fist as she caught up on some reading. Paige was on her back on top of the blanket, propped up against some pillows with her knees bent, playing Subway Surfers on her tablet.

After a while, Emily got up and went to the living room, walking over to Paige's bookshelf, where she found the textbook from her freshman Econ class. Paige had taken the class two years earlier. Emily curled up in the recliner with the textbook, her forehead wrinkled as she tried to absorb the material.

A few moments later, Paige came in and took a seat on the couch. She turned on the TV, muting it so as not disturb Emily as she studied. She flipped through the channels until she found a softball game. After watching it for a few innings, she fell asleep.

* * *

Emily walked over to the couch and poked Paige to wake her. Paige, her arms folded, opened one eye and looked up at her. "I need to get started on my paper, so..."

Paige nodded and rubbed her palm into her left eye with a yawn. She got up and logged into her computer, holding out the seat so that Emily could sit down. "Okay," she said, with a quick peck to Emily's lips, "I'll get started on dinner."

"You're going to start dinner?" Emily laughed skeptically. Paige stretched her hands at her side, wondering what was so funny. "What are you going to make?" Emily challenged.

"Whatever you want!"

Emily laughed again. "I could really go for some fish tacos!"

"Fish tacos it is," Paige exclaimed confidently.

Emily shook her head in disbelief, putting her hands on the armrests of the chair and pushing off. "Why don't you just let me take care of dinner, and, afterwards, I can get started on my paper while you clean up?"

Paige gave Emily a gentle push on the shoulders to get her back down into the chair. "I've got this, Em." She kissed the top of Emily's head, adding, "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it." She rubbed Emily's shoulders for a second as she stepped away, and when Emily relaxed into the massage, leaning forward with a moan of contentment, Paige decided to continue. She rubbed Emily's shoulders for a little while longer before she dropped her hand, rubbing circles into Emily's back with the heel of her palm.

Paige patted Emily's shoulders one final time and turned to head to the kitchen, but Emily caught her by the wrist. She turned her head up in Paige's direction, smiled a thank-you, and puckered her lips with an inviting, "Mmm..." Paige leaned in for the kiss and headed off to take care of dinner.

Emily heard the rattling of pots and pans in the kitchen. A couple of times, when the rattling was too sharp, or when she heard some salty language, she called out to Paige, to ensure that everything was okay. One time, she started to get up, but Paige urgently told her to stay put and finish her paper.

After about a half hour, Paige poked her head into the living room, keys in hand and holding her phone. She told Emily that she had to pick up one or two things to finish dinner, and that she'd be right back.

Emily, by then, was so engrossed in her paper that she hardly registered Paige's exit. When the door closed behind Paige, Emily caught up with things and called out a belated, "Love you! Bye!"

She was really curious about what had been going on in the kitchen, but she decided to respect Paige's cooking ability and keep out. Then, she realized that something was missing: She didn't smell anything cooking. She went to the kitchen to see what was really going on.

Not much.

Whatever Paige had spent the last half hour doing, it had nothing to do with cooking. Emily shook her head in disbelief. _Had Paige really spent a half-hour banging pots and pans around to make it seem that she was making dinner?_

Emily went back to Paige's desk, picked up her phone, and fired off a quick text.

**mmm... something smells good...**

**haha. it must be you.  
look, i nvr said i'd cook, i sd i'd take care of dinner! ;)**

Paige followed up with a selfie of her waiting at the take-out counter.

* * *

After dinner, Emily went back to work on her paper. She got on a roll, and time started to slip away from her. She didn't want to interrupt the flow of her work and have to get back into the groove again the next morning. She kept peeking over at the couch where Paige was passing the time channel surfing in front of the muted TV, worrying every time that Paige ran her fingers through her hair or stifled a yawn.

Emily tried to rush. The pressure was throwing off her concentration.

After about a half hour, Paige clicked off the TV and walked over to the computer where Emily was working. Wrapping her arms around Emily from behind, she kissed the top of her head and asked, "How's it going?"

Emily looked up with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm trying to hurry!"

"Take your time," Paige said patiently, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm going to go lie down, maybe read a little before I fall asleep."

"Okay," Emily said weakly. She didn't know what she was supposed to do when she finished her paper. She and Paige had never spent two nights - the whole weekend - together, even back when they were hooking up regularly. She didn't want to assume that Paige was okay with her staying over another night.

Paige bent over and gave her a kiss good-night. Emily hunched her shoulders and got back to work. She'd figure it out; either slip out after Paige was asleep or fall asleep on the couch and pretend that it was unplanned.

* * *

Emily heard Paige brushing her teeth and gargling. When Paige finished, she stood in the doorway to the bedroom and called out, "Just grab something to sleep in from the bottom drawer when you come to bed. I'll leave the light on for you - just turn it off when you're ready, okay?"

Emily nodded. "Okay." She smiled a little, trying not to let her expression show how relieved she was.

Emily was distracted as she tried to finish her paper. She was elated that Paige was okay with her staying over; in fact, that Paige just assumed that she was staying over. Emily wasn't sure what that meant, if it even meant anything. She knew what she wanted it to mean, but that didn't mean that it was what Paige wanted. It was late, after all, and Paige was probably worried about Emily's safety, were she to head home by herself.

Emily heard her phone buzz. When she picked it up and took a look, she rolled her eyes.

**Where are you?**

Emily wasn't in the mood, but she knew that Spencer had a right to be concerned. She texted back that she was working on a paper at Paige's and would "probably" have to stay over. There was no "probably" about it, but she didn't want it to sound as if she had planned to stay over all along. Her phone started to ring, and she rejected the call, texting back, "Sry; rly need to finish paper."

After Emily saved her paper to a flash drive, she brushed her teeth and picked out something from Paige's drawer, smiling in spite of herself at the familiar scent as she pulled it over her head. When she turned out the lights and lifted the sheets to climb into bed, Paige stirred, her face twisted into a scowl and her eyes closed. "What time is it?" she asked, in a low, gravelly voice.

"It's, um, a little after 1:00," Emily said, feeling a bit guilty.

"Mmm... Come here," Paige beckoned, her arms spread out wide and welcomingly in front of her, her eyes still mostly closed. Emily climbed into bed and backed into Paige's embrace, squirming a little as Paige tickled the back of her neck with a kiss. "Sleep in tomorrow?" Paige asked sleepily, and Emily nodded, reaching up to give Paige's bicep a squeeze. The contented sigh that Paige breathed in response was the last thing Emily remembered that night.


	11. In Hanna's Opinion

"Well, it sounds to me as if you two are already dating!"

"Hanna..."

"Emily..."

Emily sighed into her phone. "Paige doesn't do relationships," she said with resignation. "Didn't Caleb tell you that? ...Remember? ...Your little intervention last semester?"

"Caleb told me that Paige doesn't do hook-ups anymore. He said he thinks that you broke her."

"Okay, you can't see this, but I'm rolling my eyes so hard right now, Hanna."

"Emily, Caleb would know if Paige was still hooking up. And he told me that she's not."

Emily sighed. "She told me that, too."

"So?"

"So, it's not as if that has anything to do with me! It's not as if she changed her whole lifestyle for me!"

"Okay, but what if she did?"Emily started to reply, but Hanna interrupted her. "All I'm saying is open your eyes to the obvious, Em. Or, at least, ask Paige!"

"I _can't_ ask Paige, Hanna!"

"Why not?"

"Because she'll leave me!"

"I thought you said that you two weren't together!"

"You know what I mean! She'll stop calling. And we'll stop hanging out. And we'll stop..."

"Hooking up?"

Emily huffed a deep breath. "Yes, Hanna. That, too." Emily knew that hooking up wasn't the part of the relationship that she would miss the most. Not by a longshot.

"But why are you still hooking up with her when you want more out of your relationship?"

"Because it's better than nothing! Gray hair..."

"Is better than no hair at all, I know." Hanna was weary of hearing that rationalization. "Except, not really. You're never going to be satisfied with where the two of you are now. You're just going to get more and more frustrated. So, either you can break it off because you're fed up, or you can ask her, point blank, where you stand. And maybe she'll break it off, but, if she does, you'll only end up in the same place you would be in if you'd broken it off. Or maybe - guess what! - she'll tell you that _she_ wants more than just hooking up, too."

Emily groaned in frustration, rubbing her index finger into her temple.

"Look, Emily, all I'm saying..."

"Okay - okay! I get it!" Emily cleared her throat. In her heart, she knew that Hanna was right. That didn't make it any easier to follow her advice "It doesn't feel like 'just hooking up,'" she admitted.

"So, ask her, Em."

* * *

But Emily never did. She kept promising Hanna that she would, but she always chickened out.

In the meantime, she was still spending her Fridays - and, sometimes, the whole weekend - at Paige's apartment. Spencer got used to getting texts on Saturday night saying that Emily wasn't coming home. Gradually, she became more accepting of the arrangement. She could see that it was more than it was the first time - Emily acting out in the aftermath of her break-up - and even Spencer could see the difference in the way that Paige felt about Emily. Emily, it seemed, was the only one who couldn't.

Eventually, Hanna got tired of hearing Emily mope about Paige, so she came up with a plan.

"Listen. Next weekend, when I come out there to surprise Caleb, you introduce me to Paige as your 'friend' from Rosewood. I'll get all flirty with you, and, if Paige acts all jealous, you have to promise that you'll tell her how you feel about her. Right away. No more putting it off."

"Hanna – that is the stupidest idea that you've ever come up with. And that's saying a lot."

"What's so stupid about it?"

"Well, first of all, Paige is going to recognize you."

"No she won't. She's never met me! And Caleb's not the kind of guy who's always showing off pictures of his hot girlfriend! Even if she _has_ seen my picture, she won't recognize me. She'll just think that I'm some incredibly gorgeous blonde babe who's got the hots for you."

"And I'm not going to make out with you just to see whether or not Paige gets jealous."

"Uh, I never said anything about making out with you, Emily, but I can see why your mind went there!" Hanna winked suggestively.

"Ha ha. You know what I mean. I'm not going to flirt with you. That would just be... weird."

"So, fine! Leave it to me! I'll do all the flirting. I'm better at it, anyway! But you've got to swear that, if Paige gets all jealous, you're going to tell her!"

"Hanna, I already know how Paige is going to react. She's very protective of me…"

"Protective, eh?" Hanna's tone was full on insinuation.

"Yes, protective. I'm like a kid sister to her."

"Em, you don't fuck your kid sister."

"Ugh! You know what I mean, Hanna."

"Okay, fine. If there's any doubt – if you aren't 100% certain that she's being jealous and not protective, you're off the hook, okay?"

"Okay." Emily agreed partly because she knew that Hanna wasn't going to give up, but also because there was a part of her that wanted to believe that Hanna's theory was right.

The day's seemed to drag until Hanna's visit. Emily was having a hard time keeping her cool and not giving away the secret. She was on pins and needles, knowing that the question was going to be settled, one way or another, once and for all.

* * *

"Paige!" There was excitement, and a hint of nervousness in Emily's voice. "This is Marina, my friend... From back home... In Rosewood... Where I grew up." Hanna gave Emily a look that told her to chill. "Mari," Emily stuttered, "this is Paige."

"Hi." Paige's smile was a bit forced. She wasn't bothered by the fact that Marina was holding Emily's hand. When Emily invited Paige to go to lunch and meet Marina, she described her as a good friend. What Paige didn't like was how close Marina was standing to Emily – or the way that she kept looking her up and down as if Emily were on the menu.

"Nice to meet you, Paige!" Marina leaned in for a one-armed hug, never letting go of Emily's hand.

Okay, the hand-holding was actually starting to bother Paige a little bit.

Emily pointed toward a booth, and they headed in that direction. Paige was used to sitting across the table from Emily, but she decided that it would be better to sit next to her this time, for some reason. She wasn't fast enough, though, and Hanna snuck in there first.

Paige tried to keep her eyes on her menu, but the way that Marina was leaning in, to share Emily's menu – even though there was a perfectly good menu on the table in front of her – was distracting her. And she couldn't figure out where Marina's other hand was. When Emily's back shot up and she uttered a surprised "Oop!", Paige was pretty sure she knew where the other hand had been.

"Mmm – I almost forgot how good you smell," Hanna said, taking a big whiff as she laid her head on Emily's shoulder. Emily was overcome with guilt when she caught the look of pain on Paige's face. She whispered to Hanna to cool it. Paige understood why. She appreciated the fact that Emily at least had the decency not to throw their obvious affection for each other in her face.

When the server came to take their orders, Paige, who hadn't been able to concentrate on anything, least of all the menu, was flustered. "Huh? I'll just have a… I don't know. I'm not really hungry," she said, handing the server her menu with a weak attempt at a smile.

Emily reached across the table in genuine concern. "Paige, are you okay?" Paige jerked her hand away, wounded. Emily tried to create some space between herself and Hanna, but Hanna just slid along with her, giggling as if it were a game.

"So, Paigey… How do you know my Emily?"

Paige glared at Marina. Emily cut in quickly. "We met in math class. I don't know how it started," she laughed, nervously. She wanted to make the point that she and Paige were close, but she didn't want to make it sound as if it was just because they used to hook up. "But there's always been a special bond between us." Emily was looking into Paige's eyes when she said it, silently pleading with her to be okay.

"Ohh," Hanna cooed, leaning her body against Emily's. "You always were such a loyal _friend_."

* * *

Paige was doing a slow burn as the meal progressed. Hanna, as she had said, was good at flirting. She kept her right arm, the one between her and Emily, planted on the cushion of the booth as she leaned in to hand-feed Emily bites of her sandwich, moving her lips to mirror Emily's every bite and smiling with delight as Emily chewed. She gave Emily a big kiss on the cheek as a reward for finishing.

Emily was getting more and more upset, because she could see what Hanna's flirting was doing to Paige. But Hanna was unrelenting, smiling seductively at Emily, staring at her hungrily, and hanging on her every word. Emily kept trying to cool things down, to make Paige more comfortable, but Hanna wasn't having it.

Paige was torn. The deepest part of her wanted Emily to be happy, but it was killing her to see that happiness playing out right in front of her. And, although she appreciated the fact that Emily was trying to take it down a notch, it only made her feel even more pathetic to be on the receiving end of Emily's pity. What really hurt was the fact that Emily had never even told her about Marina. She got the fact that Marina's visit was a surprise, but, all those nights when they were together after the Spring Formal, Emily never gave Paige any inkling that someone else had her heart.

Paige felt used. The irony wasn't lost on her. Payback, she decided, for all of those girls in her past. But Paige would never have expected that kind of behavior from Emily.

Paige couldn't stop looking at Marina. She wasn't Emily's type. Or, maybe she was. Paige realized that she really didn't know Emily at all. Not anymore. She never would've imagined the Emily whom she knew going for someone so brazen and public. Plus, Marina was a ditz; a party girl. She was... Paige's heart sank when she realized what Marina was. She was the kind of girl Paige would've picked up in her player days. She realized that she, of all people, had no right to judge Emily. That knowledge made the situation even more painful.

"Paige?"

Paige looked up and saw the concern in Emily's eyes. Apparently, Emily had said Paige's name more than once while Paige was zoned out. Marina had the same concerned look in her eye, and that was the final straw.

"I need some air," Paige announced, throwing her unused napkin on the table in disgust as she stood. She stumbled toward the exit, her legs surprisingly wobbly. Once on the other side of the door, she leaned down with her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She turned to take a quick look through the glass doors, to see whether anyone from inside was staring at her and her meltdown. Finally, she stood up, bracing herself against the wall as she made her way to a bench. She sat down, burying her head in her hands and trying to get control of her breathing.

One word haunted her thoughts: _Why_.

_Why was she so upset by this?_

_Why couldn't she just be happy for Emily?_ After all, Emily was only doing exactly what Paige had advised her to do; what Paige _wanted_ her to do - Find someone to love and have a happy life with.

_Why did she resent Marina so much?_

And, most of all, _Why couldn't she be the kind of girl that Emily could love?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry to leave Paige in a bad place. I've learned that I need to limit my daily word-count in order to maintain my life balance. So, rather than rush through the next scene, to fit it into this chapter, I'm going to hold it over till tomorrow's chapter, where I can give it the space it deserves. Again - so sorry! And thanks for reading! :)


	12. In Silence and Tears

Emily gave Hanna a death-glare as she wriggled past her out of the booth and headed off after Paige, with determination in her stride. She was devastated; consumed with guilt. Hanna, for her part, seemed smugly satisfied with her work. It wasn't because she had been proven right, but, rather, because she had forced her best friend to chase after what she really wanted.

Emily opened the door and looked for Paige. She walked around the side of the building but didn't see her. Knowing that Paige couldn't have gotten far, she doubled back and shuffled to the other side of the building, where she found Paige sitting on a bench.

Paige had her back turned to Emily and her shoulders slightly slumped. She was shaking her head, and it looked as if she were talking to herself. When she heard footsteps rounding the corner, she unslumped her shoulders and stiffened up, waiting for whoever it was to move on. But when she felt the person stop beside the bench, she turned to look. Seeing that it was Emily standing there, she turned her head away quickly, not wanting Emily to know that she had been crying.

"Hey." Emily paused for a reply that never came. "Is it okay if I sit?" Paige shrugged.

Emily took a seat and waited quietly for a moment before she broke the thick cloud of silence between them. She was staring straight ahead, fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Paige still had her back to her, her shoulders once again slumped in defeat.

Emily confessed everything. She told Paige that Hanna was convinced that Paige had feelings for her, and that, when Emily refused to believe her, she insisted on "that stupid little role-play." Emily told Paige that she knew that it was a stupid idea, and that she never would have agreed to it if she had even the remotest inkling that what Hanna said might be true.

When she finished, she put her hand on Paige's back, hoping to convey how sorry she was. Paige turned around slowly, her eyes puffy and red. "Yeah?" she said bitterly, sniffling to clear her nostrils. "Great. So, now you know. Player Paige actually has feelings."

"Paige!" The word came out as a desperate plea. Emily found herself fighting back tears of her own. "The only reason Hanna wanted to prove that you would be jealous of her is that she knows how I feel about you. She's been bugging me to be honest with you about my feelings, but I've always been too afraid. But I… I…"

Emily, face to face with Paige and Paige's feelings, wanted so badly to admit her own feelings, but she just couldn't. She was still too afraid to say it out loud. So, she did the only thing that she could do: She grabbed Paige by the shoulders and kissed her, hoping that her kiss would be enough to let Paige know what she wanted to say.

Paige, dejected and hurt, pulled away from the kiss. There she was, with all of her feelings laid out in front of Emily, and all that Emily could offer in return was a kiss. The best that Emily was willing to give Paige was physical love, while she kept her heart locked away for someone more deserving.

Being with Emily those past few weeks had become comfortable. Paige had deluded herself into thinking that she and Emily had something together. All the signs seemed to be there. And yet she found herself sitting on a hard bench, literally getting the kiss-off from the girl she loved.

Even though it wasn't real, seeing Hanna acting out the relationship that Paige wanted with Emily had opened Paige's eyes. She realized that only being Emily's friend, or even her friend with benefits would never be enough.

But as Paige tried to pull away, Emily's kiss became more insistent and purposeful. She pulled Paige in tighter and kissed her in a way that she never had before. Rather than red-hot with passion, the kiss was a smoldering flame; not a fire that raged with heat and died when the fuel of lust was exhausted, but an eternal flame, burning constant and steady; pure and bright. And, being kissed like that, Paige began to understand what Emily was telling her. She began to trust.

When Emily felt Paige start to kiss her back, she was able to relax, knowing that she had gotten her message across. The kiss went on and on, back and forth, as if they were making up for lost time; redeeming all of their past, lust-filled kisses; exchanging them for this kiss from the heart. When their lips parted, Emily finally felt safe enough to admit it: "I love you, Paige. With all that I am. I'm in love with you."

Paige tenderly brushed away the tear-streaks on Emily's cheek. "I love you, too, Emily. So, so much."

Paige and Emily sat in silence, holding each other as they let their bodies calm down. After a few minutes, Hanna rounded the corner and called out, "Hey, you two love birds. That was a pretty good trick, running off and sticking me with the bill!"

Emily sprang to her feet in a fit of rage, reaching back as if she were going to deck Hanna. Paige caught hold of her hand. "It's okay," she said softly but firmly.

She wasn't lying. Everything was fine.

And, Emily, when she calmed down, agreed. She hated that she had hurt Paige by following Hanna's plan, but it never would have come to that if she had only listened to Hanna and been honest with Paige at the outset. And, even though it had been painful - for both of them - the truth was finally out, something that, she had to admit, might never have happened were it not for Hanna.

* * *

That night, Paige and Emily lay in Paige's bed holding each other, nothing more. It was the quiet, peaceful moment that they needed together after the emotional roller coaster of their day.

Emily was running two fingers up and down Paige's collar area, circling her breasts occasionally. It was calming; almost hypnotic to Paige. She heard Emily's voice breaking through her state of semi-consciousness. Had her eyes been open, she would have seen that Emily's face was wrinkled in confusion. "Paige, you really never knew how I felt about you?"

"No," Paige said simply. She was silent for so long that Emily thought that it was her final word on the subject. She was okay with that. It was enough just to lie there and enjoy where they were, without having to go back and delve into where they had been, and why. There would be plenty of time for that later.

But Paige rolled over on her back, with one hand behind her head and the other flat on her stomach, rising occasionally as she spoke. "I mean, how _could_ you have feelings for me? You know what I was like. You know that better than anybody."

Emily leaned closer to Paige, so that she was almost on top of her. "Yeah. I know you, Paige. Because you were always there for me. You were the one who always called at just the right time, even when you didn't know that it was the right time. You were the one who dropped whatever you were doing to look after me. The one who let me cry on your shoulder and who held me all night when my heart was broken. You were the one who could just be there with me, and being with me was enough for you. So, yeah, I know you better than anyone else. And that's why I love you."

Paige turned towards Emily, pulling her in for a tight embrace. "I love you, too, Emily."

"I knew that you liked me," Emily said, playing with Paige's hair because she was embarrassed at what she was going to admit, "but I knew that you weren't into relationships. I was so worried I was going to sound too clingy or overstay my welcome and you were going to stop calling me." Emily laughed nervously.

"Emily..."

Emily shook her head. "It seems silly, I know, looking back on things. You never gave me any reason to feel like that. It's just..."

Paige nodded her head and pulled Emily in tight, kissing her on the forehead.

* * *

There was a knock on the door the next morning, as Paige was making breakfast. Emily pointed at the door, asking with her expression whether Paige wanted her to get the door. Paige nodded.

"Oh," Emily said, seeing who was there. She pointed the way to the kitchen. "Paige?"

Caleb wanted to come and apologize to Paige in person as soon as he found out what had happened, but Hanna convinced him to wait until the morning, to give Paige and Emily some time to process things on their own.

"I had no idea what Hanna was planning," he pleaded. He hadn't even known that Hanna was coming to visit him. "If I had," he wanted Paige to know, "I would have shut it down."

Paige smiled, stepping away from the stove to give Caleb a hug. "I know," she assured him. She wasn't mad at Caleb. And she wasn't really mad at Hanna, although she still had some feelings to work through before she was ready to see her again.

"I didn't come at a bad time, did I?" Caleb asked, pointing back and forth between the two girls.

"Not at all," Paige said enthusiastically. "I was just about to put breakfast on the table. Have a seat – you're welcome to join us."

"Well, actually, I came over more to talk."

Emily looked at Paige. Paige looked at Emily. They both rolled their eyes.

"She sent you?"

"No. That's not it. I came over because I needed to make things right with Paige. But…" Caleb tightened his lips. He was stuck. He didn't know how to say what he needed to say.

"...But Hanna realizes that what she did was wrong, and she wants to make things right?" Emily offered.

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, sucking some air through his teeth. "Well… Not exactly. I mean… Hanna still thinks that what she did was right. The way she sees it, you two would never have admitted how you feel for each other if it weren't for her little plan. But…"

"...But she regrets the fact that what she did really hurt us?" Paige guessed.

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. "Not exactly…" Turning his gaze from Paige to Emily, he said, "Emily, you've known her longer than I have, so you know how she is. I don't think she's even acquainted with the feeling of regret."

"So," Emily said incredulously, "she sent you over here to tell us that we're wrong, and we need to get over ourselves?"

Caleb inhaled and exhaled deeply. "The thing is, Hanna is broken up over the fact that you're mad at her. And believe me, I get why you're mad at her. But if you could just, I don't know, try to think about why she did what she did, and find it in your heart to forgive her… Well, you'd be helping me out a lot."

"In other words," Paige said, "you're not getting any until we all make up?"

Caleb rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nervously. "Well, not exactly… I mean, come on – we haven't seen each other for almost three months, and I'm definitely…" He shook his head to help him focus. Paige and Emily didn't need the graphic details. "But that's not the point. Look, she's really sad, and she really wants to make amends, and that's probably as close to an apology or admission of guilt as Hanna can get, so…"

Once again, Paige and Emily stared at each other. Paige took in a deep breath, letting her shoulders rise and fall. She shrugged, letting Emily know that she wouldn't stand in the way of their reconciliation. "Being mad at Hanna won't fix anything."

"Yeah. And she's really a good friend, Paige. If you get to know her. She can be annoying sometimes…" Caleb scoffed at that obvious understatement. "But she's also loving and loyal, and… Did I mention annoying?" Emily laughed before she turned serious, her voice turning soft. "But she's my best friend."

Paige gave Emily a hug. "I know she is, Em."

"So… I can tell her that it's okay?" Caleb's eyes were wide and hopeful.

Paige nodded. "You can tell her," Emily said, giving Paige a thank-you kiss on the cheek.

"Great!" Caleb pulled out his phone and typed out a few characters. No sooner had he hit "send" than there was a knock at the door.

Emily looked at Paige, and they both started laughing. "We've been hoodwinked!"

Hanna burst into the room going, 120 miles per hour. "Selfie with the cute couple! Cute place, Paigey! Mmmm… something smells good. Emily, did you cook? Caleb, we're staying for breakfast."

Emily shook her head and gave Hanna a hug. She didn't thank Hanna for what she did, and Hanna didn't apologize, but they each knew what the other was thinking, and that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's title is from the poem, "When We Two Parted," by Byron.


	13. In a Relationship

Emily was enjoying the infatuation phase of their budding relationship. Although she and Paige had been sexual from the very beginning had been friends for a long time, this kind of dating relationship was something fresh and new to them. Emily was reveling in all of its little thrills.

Like holding hands.

She could never forget the first time it happened. They were walking across campus, and all of a sudden, their hands brushed. There was a rush of adrenaline was she wondered - was it accidental? Was Paige giving her a sign? Whatever it was, she decided to be brave and took hold of Paige's hand. When Paige responded, wrapping her hand around Emily's, it felt so good. On one level, it was the soft, gentle warmth of Paige's hand that felt good, but on another, it was the fact that they were holding hands that felt so good; putting it out there for the world to see that they were together. She was taken. Paige was taken. Their hands were sending an unmistakable message to everyone else: Hands off.

Emily remembered the smile that she gave Paige at that moment. When Paige smiled back, she knocked shoulders with Emily as if to say, "We're both so sappy, but it feels so good."

Emily became accustomed to the glares of a host of other women on campus; girls who had been in Paige's life or in her bed, but who had never made it into her heart. Paige reminded Emily of what she had told her in the limo, that those girls would be insanely jealous of them. Eventually, the glares faded away, as those girls came to terms with the fact that she and Paige were a couple.

Paige realized that she had another important step to take if she and Emily were to be a legitimate couple: She needed to mend fences with Spencer. She knew how important Emily's friends were to her. And she knew that the reason that Spencer didn't like her - or, at least, didn't like her with Emily, was that Spencer was such a good friend. It was natural for her to want to look out for Emily, and to warn her off from someone with a reputation like Paige's.

* * *

"Oh, Paige." Spencer sounded surprised, not disdainful, when she greeted Paige at her door. She gestured in the direction of the bedroom and said, "Emily's not here."

"I know," Paige said pleasantly. "I was hoping that we could talk. May I come in?"

Spencer pointed Paige toward the couch and offered her something to drink, which Paige declined, before she sat down. "What may I do for you?"

Paige explained why she was there. She acknowledged that Spencer's concerns about her and Emily were valid, but told her that Emily was different, and that, over the course of the year, she herself had changed as well. She assured Spencer that she wanted a relationship with Emily and that she was going to work at building one with her. "And that includes building a relationship with her friends. Spencer, I know how important you are to Emily, and I hope that you'll give me an opportunity to win your trust."

Spencer stood up and extended her arms. Paige stood with her and accepted the hug. "Thank you," Spencer said. "I really respect the fact that you came to me like this." Spencer went on to explain that she had seen the changes in Paige and Emily's relationship over the past couple of months, and that, as a result, Paige already had her trust. The fact that she came over to build a bridge with the people who were important to Emily only cemented that foundation of trust.

They sat back down on the couch and chatted a little more. It was awkward; although Emily was right in saying that Spencer and Emily were very much alike, they really didn't know each other, and they had little in common other than their love for Emily.

They were in the middle of an awkward pause when Emily walked in. Her eyes roamed between the two of them as the rest of her body stood frozen in place. "Should I be worried?" she asked, with a nervous half-smile.

"Not at all," Spencer assured her, as Paige shook her head no. "Your girlfriend just came by to clear the air between us.

 _Girlfriend?_ Emily realized that's what they were, even though they hadn't been dating officially for very long. She glanced at quickly at Paige, but Paige didn't flinch at the word. "So, you guys are cool?"

"We are!" Paige said cheerfully.

Emily walked with Paige to the door, and Spencer went to the bedroom, to give them some privacy. Emily was holding both of Paige's hands and looking down at them as she asked, "So, you're okay? With what Spencer said? 'Girlfriend?'"

Paige smiled. "Let's be honest, Em. We've been girlfriends ever since the Spring Formal."

Emily's smile stretched as wide as it could across her face. She gave Paige a kiss, moving her hands to Paige's cheeks. She let the kiss linger, enjoying the kiss; enjoying the moment; enjoying their newly acknowledged relationship status.

* * *

Paige decided that she wasn't going to sleep with Emily the right way. In their past, it had just been sex; just getting each other off. But, once they were dating, Paige wanted it to be something more. "I treasure you," she explained, "and I want you to know that you're a treasure."

Emily, while she appreciated the sentiment, already felt treasured. The sex hadn't just been "getting each other off" since the time that they slept together after the spring formal - and nothing had made Emily feel more treasured than that night.

Paige didn't want to discount that. It was meaningful to her, too, of course. "But we weren't official back then," she pointed out. "Now that we are, I want our first time to be memorable."

"Well, you're going to have a hard time topping the Spring Formal."

"I know, right? God, that was just the perfect evening. When we were riding back to your place in the limo, I wanted to take you to bed so badly. It just seemed like the only proper way for that night to end."

Emily rolled over on top of Paige, giving her a kiss. "Well, you got your wish."

"Yeah," Paige smirked, sitting up a little to kiss Emily back. "That's what made it the perfect evening."

Emily let herself kiss Paige's face and neck and let her hands wander wherever they wanted. "And you're seriously telling me that you're not going to sleep with me tonight?"

Paige groaned. "You don't think it would be better to wait?"

Emily giggled. "I don't think you have the self-control!"

"Ha!" Paige bucked Emily off of her. "If there's one thing I have, it's self-control." Emily stared intensely at Paige, with deep, piercing eyes. "Okay, you know what? I'm taking the couch tonight!"

"Fine, whatever, fine!" Emily pulled Paige back onto the bed. "I'll be good. I promise. Just stay here and spoon me."

Paige gave Emily a chaste kiss. "With pleasure!"

A moment later, resting comfortably in Paige's arms, Emily heard Paige laughing to herself and, without turning around, asked what was so funny.

"This just seems so normal, you know? Lying in bed with you like this." Paige laughed again, shaking her head. "I can't believe, all that time when we were sleeping together - not to mention, _sleeping together_ \- we had no idea that we were basically already together."

Emily turned over, smiling in agreement. She put her hand on Paige's shoulder. "Hanna told me the same thing, that you and I were already dating."

Paige looked off to the side, her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Hanna? Who's Hanna? - Oh, you mean Marina!"

"Oh, stop it!" Emily's smile was even brighter as she swatted Paige's shoulder. "It's not bad enough that you have to come up with stupid nicknames for all of my friends - I stupidly _gave_ you a nickname for Hanna!"

Paige took hold of Emily's shoulder and gave her a kiss. Emily cupped Paige's cheek and gave her a peck before she rolled over, pulling the sheet over her shoulder. "I'm going to turn around, now, or we both know how this night is going to end." Paige sighed. She knew. Emily turned her head towards Paige, jamming her index finger in her face. "And no funny business back there either, Missy!"

* * *

"So, can you, at least, tell me where you're taking me on this big date? You know, how you're going to seduce me and have your way with me?"

Paige laughed. "Oh, stop!" Shaking her head, she continued. "Well, I could be annoying and tell you that it's a surprise, would you like that?" Emily's glare said that, no, she would not.

"O...kay..." Paige laughed lightly, nervous after Emily's icy reaction. "Well, I figured we could make a day of it: Take a nice, relaxing drive, find a spot where we can lay out a picnic, sit out and enjoy the sun and solitude, have dinner at a charming little inn, and spend the night there."

Emily smiled, giving Paige a hug. "That sounds perfect!"

"In separate bedrooms, of course," Paige continued.

Emily gave her an elbow. "Why do you have to ruin things?"

* * *

Paige picked Emily up early on Saturday morning. They got some coffee, sitting outside the coffee shop as they took their time enjoying their drinks, the company, and the sunrise. Emily was cuddled into Paige, not really sleepy - still on an adrenaline high in anticipation of their day - but liking the feeling of being so close to Paige, and so public.

Paige got up with a stretch and led Emily to the car, holding the door for her as she helped her inside. The drive was beautiful - the way that the sun, through the clouds, created patterns against the hills below it; the occasional farm house with horses or cattle grazing on the grass; some quaint-looking antique shops that they would have loved to stop and spend some time in, had it not been so early. Paige assured Emily that they would pass some shops later in the day, when things were open.

Paige was driving with one hand on the wheel and the other held between Emily's hands. The radio was on in the background, but they never ran out of things to talk about.

They got out to stretch their legs and took a little walk to look at a secluded lake. Emily leaned her head on Paige's shoulder, staring at the calm waters with longing eyes. She sighed. "I wish I'd known about this lake. I would've brought my swimsuit!"

"Well, it's still early, Emily! No one will know if we go skinny dipping!" Paige kicked off her Vans and started undoing her pants. Emily stared, her mouth opened wide, until she realized that Paige had her swimsuit on underneath her clothes. She slapped Paige's shoulder.

"You knew about the lake? Did you really think that you'd get me to go in without my swimsuit?"

Paige smiled. "Your suit's in the car. In the picnic basket. Spencer gave it to me." She pointed to a public toilet. "You can change in there."

Emily's eyes sparkled. "Really? We're going swimming?"

Paige and Emily had fun with each other in the water, playing around with each other at first; then, after they settled in, swimming off in their own directions, stretching their muscles and getting the blood circulating. Paige had packed some towels and a blanket, so, when they had their fill of the water, they dried each other off, laid the blanket out on a patch of grass, and let the sun warm them up.

"My hair's going to be all frizzed out."

Paige scrunched her face up. "Really?" Emily shrugged. "Sorry. I guess I didn't think of everything!"

Emily smiled, squeezing Paige's shoulder. "No big deal." She gathered her hair into her hands, pulling it tight, and secured it with the pony tail holder from her wrist. Paige enjoyed the view as Emily worked on it, the muscles of her arms and shoulders as she moved; the way that she closed her eyes as she tilted her head back and worked her fingers through her hair. When Emily opened her eyes and saw the way that Paige was looking at her, she smiled shyly. "What?"

Paige shook her head. "You know what, Emily."

Emily laughed, running her index finger up Paige's arm. "Are you going to be able to hold out till we get to the hotel, or am I going to have to take you behind one of these trees?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "I can hold out. At least till we get to the car."

"I'm not doing you while you drive, Paige. That wouldn't be safe."

* * *

Paige stood with a stretch and looked at Emily, who was lying on her back with her eyes closed. "Are you hungry?"

Emily smiled and sat up. "I could eat!" Paige walked over and got the picnic basket, sitting cross-legged in front of it as she doled out the food. Emily was sitting with her legs stretched in front of her, propped up by her arms, which were stretched out behind her. "What did you pack?"

Paige unpacked small containers of cranberry-walnut chicken salad, and some fruit. She handed Emily a bottle of water, which Emily downed greedily.

After the meal, they lay down on the blanket again as they let their food settle. It was Paige, this time, whose eyes were closed as she lay with her head on Emily's shoulder. Emily was playing with Paige's hair, kissing the top of her head whenever she felt like it. They weren't using words, but they were still continuing their conversation.

At noon, with the sun high above them, Paige stood up, offering her hands to help Emily up. "I promised you some antique shops!"

Emily giggled. "Yes, you did!"

Emily pulled her sundress over her two-piece swimsuit and put her oversized straw hat back on.

As they continued down the winding road, they did encounter more antique shops, and, since they weren't in a hurry, they stopped at a couple. Some were just glorified yard sales. Most were home-based businesses; often, it was hard to tell where the shop ended and the home began.

They were in a more rural part of the country, where people seemed to look on them as friends or traveling companions; or, at least, to pretend that's what they were. One store was run by a pair of gray-haired ladies who seemed to be looking them over, wondering whether there was more to their relationship, so, as they were being rung up, Emily put her hand on Paige's stomach and thanked her with a kiss to the cheek. Seeing this, the owners broke into understanding smiles. They asked Paige and Emily where they were from and, after a bit of pleasant small-talk, invited them back to their kitchen for some tea. Emily couldn't help smiling at the way that the two interacted, their affection for each other obvious as they bustled around the small kitchen, able to let their guard down and be themselves around their young guests. Their new friends stood in the doorway and waved as Paige and Emily drove off, having promised that they would stop by for a visit again, sometime.

Back on the road, Paige gave Emily's knee a squeeze. "This is a nice getaway, isn't it?"

Emily covered Paige's hand with hers, nodding eagerly.


	14. In the Inn

Paige pulled up to the inn just as the sun was deciding to sink into the west. It was a rustic old building that had once been a family mansion. There were some dinner chairs set out on the veranda, and Paige and Emily decided to take advantage of the pleasant weather, having their dinner outside with a view of the sunset. Paige was old enough to order a bottle of wine, and the innkeeper obligingly brought two glasses to their table.

After dinner, the two took a walk around the grounds. There was a pond just off of the property, and they paused for a while to watch some ducks swimming around, looking for their own dinner just below the surface of its murky depths.

Emily let go of Paige's hand, and, bracing herself against Paige's arm, took off her shoes to put a toe into the water. It wasn't a swimming pond; she just wanted the feel of water on her skin. After she finished testing the water, she leaned into Paige's side, and Paige stretched her arm around her waist as they stood and listened to nature all around them. When it was time to start walking again, Paige kissed the top of Emily's head and moved her arm up to Emily's shoulder. Emily had her arms folded across her waist, supporting herself a little against Paige's body. Paige was still holding Emily's shoes.

Emily pushed ahead of Paige up the three steps to the veranda, turning around to put her hands on Paige's shoulders and give her a quick kiss before they walked into the building. She wasn't tired, but she was ready for bed.

"Am I going to get some tonight?" Paige husked, and Emily, caught off guard, gave her a smack on reflex before she recovered and played along.

"Well, I'm feeling generous," she said in a low, seductive tone. "This just might be your lucky night."

They were up the stairs and in their room in a heartbeat, and kissing desperately before the door was fully closed behind them. Emily pushed Paige down on the bed. "I'll be back!" she said quickly, and she grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. She had been waiting all day for Paige to pull her dress over her head, but she didn't want the mood to be ruined when Paige saw her swimsuit underneath the dress and laughed out loud. She changed back into the lacy bra and panties that she had selected especially for that moment, taking the time to freshen up her scent and make some sense of her hair before she put the dress back on.

Paige's subconscious picked up on the subtle change when Emily returned - before it registered in her conscious mind - as soon as she got wind of the perfume. It was a scent that Paige associated with their first time together - their night of mind-blowing passion - and it sent heat rushing down to Paige's core. Emily saw the passion in Paige's eye, so intense that it made her a little nervous. It felt like the big drop of the roller-coaster, when the stomach falls before the rest of the body catches up. Paige's hands were everywhere as she and Emily traded attacks with their lips. Emily wound up on the bed, underneath Paige and the weight of her desire. Paige stood up, took a calming breath, and brushed her hair aside. She needed to slow things down. She held out her hands to Emily, whose eyes were wild with anticipation, and helped her to her feet. Paige kissed along Emily's jawline as she slowly lifted her dress up and over her head. Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw what lay beneath.

Emily shook her head before Paige went any further, pointing to her, to indicate that it was her turn. She began unbuttoning Paige's shirt, wrinkling her forehead in confusion when she saw only bare skin, rather than the black, one-piece swimsuit that she was expecting as she worked her way down the buttons. When she exposed Paige's bare nipples, she quickly removed Paige's jeans laughing in surprise. Apparently, Paige had been busy ditching her swimsuit during the time that Emily was getting ready in the bathroom. Paige laughed deviously and jumped on Emily, knocking her down on the bed.

Emily lay beneath Paige, her eyes ranging rapidly back and forth, her arms the only thing creating distance between the two of them. She looked scared and unsteady, as if it were her first time. Only, her first time with Paige was nothing like that. In Emily's eyes, the stakes were higher this time. Paige had made such a point about the fact that this was their first time when they were together. Even though Emily knew that it was foolish, she couldn't seem to settle her nerves.

"I love you," Paige whispered. The words pulled Emily back in the moment, and she pulled Paige in for a duel of the tongues.

Paige pulled away and, starting at the foot of the bed, began slowly working her way up Emily's body, getting to know every inch of it along the way. Her first step was a slow, sensual massage of Emily's toes and feet, which provoked noises from Emily that surely would have made their neighbors she and Paige were already much further along in the process. From there, Paige kissed her way up Emily's calves and thighs, and gently kneaded her ass. Paige spent a few moments appreciating Emily's abdomen, her touch feather-light against them, as she progressed to Emily's breasts. Emily's body was burning up as she wriggled around on the bed, clawing at the sheets and at any expanse of Paige's skin that she could reach. The sounds that she was making were turning Paige on, and she found herself grinding into Emily's body. Dying from ecstasy every time she heard her name emerge in a moan from Emily's lips, Paige had to divert her hand from Emily's body to her own from time to time.

After the slow, steady, delightful torture, Paige started to work her way back down Emily's body, finally latching on where Emily so desperately needed her - right when Emily feared that she couldn't take the slow torture anymore. The strokes of Paige's tongue were steady and sure, and she massaged Emily's thighs gently as Emily's body, on autopilot, rose up to meet her. Emily was chewing on her index finger. Her other hand was threaded in Paige's hair, putting even more force behind Paige's every thrust.

Paige was pushing every one of Emily's buttons. She wanted this to be not only the best _sex_ of Emily's life, but the best _night_ of her life. She needn't have worried. After everything that had happened between them that day - and, actually, everything since Hanna got them together, Emily was fired up. Her body longed for Paige. She didn't need much to push her to record-breaking heights. They were connecting on an entirely new level at the moment when Emily was no longer able to hold on.

When she came, it was beyond epic. It was tantric.

* * *

Emily needed longer than she ever had before to recover from her high. Paige held onto her the entire time, gently murmuring comfort and love into her ear. She fully expected Emily to drift off to sleep. But she had underestimated her girlfriend. Emily got her second wind and sat astride Paige before Paige could protest with selfless words, pretending that she didn't desperately need what Emily was about to give her.

Emily had gotten to know Paige extremely well in the bedroom. She knew when Paige wanted to be made love to, and when she wanted to be fucked. So, she obligingly gave it to her hard that night. She had the headboard rattling so violently against the wall that she was sure that they were going to get a bill for damages to the room - and, perhaps, for the cost of a new mattress.

It turned out to be a late night. They lay in bed holding each other, still exploring each other's bodies visually and tactilely, but not sexually. Paige lay against Emily's chest, exceptionally silent as she listened to the true and steady beat of Emily's heart. She smiled as she noted how she could increase its tempo by tickling her fingers across the ripples of Emily's belly. She got a weird thought and looked up at Emily, smiling shyly. Emily's hand stopped combing through Paige's hair as she looked down at Paige, wondering what was going on.

"Nothing," Paige said. "I just had a crazy thought, and..." she chuckled nervously. "Nothing," she said, looking away. "I don't want to weird you out." It was too soon.

Emily sat up a little, pushing her elbows behind her back, suddenly concerned about what this crazy thought that Paige couldn't even tell about was. "Paige?"

Paige rolled over to her back with a sigh. "Okay, well don't freak out, but..."

Emily turned onto her side, laying her head on Paige's chest, the way that Paige's head had been on her chest earlier, before all this weirdness started. "You can tell me anything," she said, her eyes following her fingers as they smoothed over Paige's belly.

Paige chuckled. "It's just... stupid. I was just lying here, listening to your heart and feeling your stomach, and I started to imagine what it would be like to hear a second heartbeat - and to see you a bump in that stomach."

"Aww." Emily's response came out as a deep, steady moan. She put Paige's hand on her stomach, keeping hold of it with her hand, letting Paige feel her inhale and exhale. "That's so sweet, Paige."

Paige smiled, but didn't say anything. She didn't know where her thoughts were coming from. She had shared intimate moments with Emily countless times before, but, all of a sudden, she was seeing Emily wobbling around in a maternity dress; Emily holding her hand as she pushed a stroller; another little body climbing into bed between them on a stormy night.

It was too soon. Much too soon. Emily was still a teenager, and Paige was barely out of her teens. But she had a relationship goal, for the first time ever. She couldn't tell Emily any of that, of course. She didn't want to scare her off. Still, it _was_ a goal. It would be appropriate, someday. That thought put a smile on Paige's face. She kissed the top of Emily's head. "I love you."

Emily tilted her head back for Paige to kiss her lips. "I love you, too."

As they lay in silence for a few moments, Paige shifted slightly, to pull her hair out from behind her back. Emily nestled back into her spot on Paige's chest, playing with Paige's hair. "Did you always wear it this length?"

Paige chuckled and let out a deep breath. "The first couple of years in high school, I had this short, I don't know..." Paige gestured with her hand close to her face. "... kind of like a boyish cut, kind of like a 1920s bob? And my hair was redder, back then."

Emily laughed. "Was it easier to take care of?"

"Oh yeah," Paige answered eagerly. She paused before she admitted, "But that's not the reason I wore it short, though."

"No?"

Emily felt Paige shake her head. "It was a very difficult time for me, you know? I was trying to _find myself_. And I was lashing out at everything - and everyone - who seemed to have life easier than me, you know? I think part of me was thinking, 'Oh, life would be so much easier if I were a guy.' I mean, I didn't really know what a lesbian was. I guess part of me thought I had to be like a guy."

Emily looked at Paige with a sympathetic frown. Paige couldn't resist getting a peck from those pouty lips. "That's so sad," Emily whined. When Paige rolled her eyes at the slight patronization, Emily played it up even more. "My poor little Paige, all alone and confused!"

"Oh, shut up," Paige said, unable to hide her smile. In one swift motion, she snatched the pillow behind Emily's head and whacked her with it. Paige was much happier joking about her feelings than engaging in a serious discussion about them. Plus, there was something about hearing Emily, even if she were only joking, refer to her as _her_ Paige.

Emily couldn't let Paige's assault with the pillow go. She wrestled the pillow out of Paige's hands sat on top of her, hitting her with it, over and over. They were both still naked, and, as Emily bounced back and forth with each swing of her weapon, Paige started to feel Emily's wetness against her stomach. And the pillow smelled like Emily. It got to be too much for Paige. She suddenly became very serious, to Emily's surprise and delight.

When things settled down again, and Emily was lying in Paige's arms again, she said, softly, "I wish I had known you back then."

Paige laughed. "Believe me," she said, shaking her head. "You don't."

Emily shrugged, her fingers meandering over Paige's stomach. "Nobody should have to go through that alone."

"I don't regret it. I mean, it was rough, sure, but, you know. 'What doesn't kill us...' It's what made me the tough girl I am today."

Emily looked up at Paige and rolled her eyes. "Oh, yeah," she said with a sly smile and a kiss. "'Cause you're _so_ tough." She kissed Paige again. "I'm shaking in fear!"

"Oh, whatever, Emily!" Paige gave her a long, soulful kiss, grateful that, once again, Emily had defused the situation, letting her talk about her past pain, but not letting her go so far as to get depressed about it.

They lay silent together, each grateful that the other was there with her: There in her life; there in her bed. Paige fell asleep to the occasional ghosted kisses that Emily pressed into her shoulder.


	15. In the Morning

Emily felt eyes on her when she woke up the next morning. She rolled over, smiling, as her suspicions were confirmed. Paige was on her side, propped up on a pillow, with a worried look on her face. "Good morning," she said softly.

"Good morning!" Emily was enthusiastic. Something was different; a bit off. She didn't know what it was, so she was trying to be positive, to get things realigned.

"Are you okay?" Paige asked, the worry still evident on her face.

"I'm fantastic!" Paige just nodded. Either Paige didn't believe her, or she had another reason for asking. Figuring that it was the latter, Emily ventured, "Are _you_ okay?"

Paige breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as she let out the breath.

"Paige?" Paige rolled over onto her back. Emily was getting worried, but she sensed that she needed to let Paige take her time, until she was ready to talk about what the problem was.

"I remember my first time. It was with someone I truly loved. We had dated for most of the year – my junior year, her senior year. And I really loved her. And she loved me.

"It was the last weekend before she left for college. It just felt right. It was the culmination of everything that we had been together. It was at a friend's house. Just the two of us. And I'll never forget it.

"The next day, I met her for breakfast. She told me…" Paige chuckled bitterly. "She told me that she had to be honest with me. She loved me, and she loved what we had together. But she was going to college, and she couldn't see limiting herself to a girl back home while she was away."

Paige took a series of deep, shaky breaths. Emily found her hand under the covers and squeezed it, taking it up to her lips and kissing it gently.

Paige turned to face her, but looked away when she did. "Emily, are you going to leave me?"

Emily shook her head and said a firm "No!"

The question didn't make sense. If Emily had only been interested in sex with Paige, she could have had that. But she understood why Paige was asking; why Paige needed to be reassured. She sat up in the bed, cueing Paige to do the same, and put her arm on Paige's shoulder, with her hand behind her neck. She didn't kiss her; she just locked eyes with her, as if symbolizing by her unflinching gaze that she would be unflinching in their relationship.

Emily didn't know how long she and Paige sat there, staring like that. She knew that she would stay there for as long as it took. For as long as Paige needed her to. The next move was Paige's.

Eventually, Paige took the next move, putting her hand on Emily's neck, mirroring Emily's gesture, and laying her head on Emily's shoulder.

Only then did Emily speak. She pressed a kiss to Paige's head and whispered, "Thank you."

Paige looked up, puzzled. "For what?"

"For letting me in. For letting me be the one whom you opened up to. For trusting in my love enough."

Paige nodded and kissed Emily. "I do trust your love, Emily. I knew that you wouldn't leave me. I knew what your answer was, and I needed to hear it."

"And I'll give you my answer as often as you need to hear it, Paige: I love you, and I'm not going to leave you."

Paige smiled. Things had gotten too serious, so she turned playful again. She sprang from the bed, yelling, "Race you to the shower!"

Emily was tangled in the sheets and ended up tumbling onto the floor. She managed to grab enough of Paige's ankle to slow her down, and she elbowed her out of the door to the bathroom, making it to the shower first. "What does the winner get?"

Paige spread her arms out wide. "Me!"

* * *

Paige was still frisky after their romp in the shower. As Emily dried her hair, Paige rolled up her towel and snapped Emily's ass with it. Emily shrieked, caught totally off guard. "Ohh… You're going to pay for that, McCullers!"

Emily began chasing Paige around the room, exacting her revenge. "Time out! Time out!" Paige called, pointing to the phone on the bedside table that was flashing and ringing. "Hello? … Oh, okay…" Paige cringed, looking at Emily. Emily could see the tint of red in Paige's cheeks. "Okay. We're very sorry… Yes, everything's okay."

Emily, puzzled, sat next to Paige, stroking her arm. She mouthed the words, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, no. We understand. Thank you." Paige hung up the phone and looked at Emily, her eyes three times wider than normal. "OMG! That was that sweet old lady who runs the place! She was calling about the noise in the room, and wanted us to know that this is a family inn, that she doesn't have anything against our ' _lifestyle_ ,' but the noise is too much." Emily gasped in shock. "Oh, and she'd tell us the same thing if we were a straight couple. And we're responsible for any damages to the room."

* * *

Emily wanted to skip breakfast, to avoid having to walk past the front desk. She really wanted just to leave the keys in the room and sneak out through the window. Paige convinced her that they needed to go and face the music. Like it or not, it was likely that the owners' opinions of all lesbians would be shaped by their interaction with the two of them.

Emily walked a couple of steps behind Paige, holding her hand, as they approached the front desk. "I just wanted to come down and offer our apologies in person," Paige said, with a genial smile. "We were just kidding around, enjoying our time away, and I let things get out of control. I hope that you didn't get too many complaints from your guests. We know that most of them were looking for a quiet weekend getaway."

The smile never left the innkeeper's face. "I was young once, too, you know," she told them with a wink. "And if anyone comments on the noise at checkout, I'll let them know that you asked me to give them your sincere apology."

"Thank you," Emily said meekly, half hiding her face in her girlfriend's shoulder.

They got a couple of inappropriate looks – and some disapproving ones – from some of the guests in the breakfast room, but they survived.

* * *

"Did you want me to drive back?" Emily offered. "It doesn't seem fair that you have to do all of the driving."

"Only if you want to," Paige said with a shrug. "I don't mind driving."

"Well, if you're sure," Emily said, heading to the passenger side.

"I'm sure. As long as we can make some stops along the way to stretch our legs. You know, break up the trip a little."

"Of course!" Emily was a little more tentative with her follow-up question. "Maybe we could look in at some of those antique stores again?"

"Perfect!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"I can never get anyone to look at antiques with me. They always say I spend too much time in the stores. I mean, my friend, Hanna, can shop for hours for clothes, but if I spend 20 minutes looking at antique linen and old China…"

Paige laughed. "That's fine with me. If I get bored, I can always strike up a conversation with the guy behind the counter."

Emily shook her head, but the smile on her face was full of admiration. "Yeah, you can strike up a conversation with anyone, can't you?"

"I guess… I mean, everybody's got a story. It's just a question of finding out what someone's excited about, and letting him talk about it. And if someone's talking about something he's really passionate about, it's usually pretty interesting."

"Well, we don't have to stay long. I'm just looking for something unique to get my parents for their anniversary."

"How long have they been together?"

"Twenty years! So…"

"It's a biggie!"

Emily nodded. "Are your parents still together?" Emily asked tentatively, afraid of bringing up a touchy subject.

"Uh huh." Paige didn't look over as she replied. Emily wasn't sure, from her blank expression, whether or not she should push it, but she did.

"How long have they been…"

Paige glanced up to the roof of the car as she thought it over. "Twenty-five years? Twenty-six?" She nodded, turning slightly towards Emily. "It'll be twenty-six in October."

"Did they do anything special for their twenty-fifth?"

"I guess…" Paige sounded disinterested. "My parents and I don't really get along so well." Paige saw Emily pout, so she smiled, to let her know that it was okay. "My Dad and I got along a lot better when I was still in the closet. And still playing field hockey. I think the field hockey thing was a bigger blow than the lesbian thing."

Emily gave Paige's forearm a squeeze and left her hand on top of it. The way that Paige was opening up, Emily had the feeling that she wanted – or, perhaps, needed – to talk about things, so she asked, "And your mom?"

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "My Mom… eh. She wanted the kind of daughter she could dress up and send to ballet class, you know? I mean, when I was a kid, my Dad was excited when I wanted to go out for little league. He bought me a mitt, taught me how to slide…" Paige was smiling wistfully. "It was just tough on my Mom. I guess she kind of felt left out. And I felt bad about that, but… I didn't really know how to relate to her, or to be the little girl she wanted. Like, she only had one shot at a daughter, and she ended up with me…"

"Paige – "

"I know, Em. I know she loves me. I mean, I'm sure she's the reason my Dad didn't kick me out of the house when I turned 18. Anyway, it's just easier to have some space between us. They do their thing, I do mine."

"Do you stay with them when you go home for the summer?"

"Yeah. The last two years, I did. But, this summer, I'm going to try to get an internship, or maybe get a job on campus, where they provide housing."

Emily took a deep breath. "Well, if that doesn't work out… You could come spend the summer in Rosewood." Emily was half joking and half hopeful.

"Yeah?" Paige smiled at Emily. "And what would I do in Rosewood?"

Emily couldn't tell whether Paige was smiling out of interest or just to play along with the joke. She answered her question, figuring she could make it out to be a joke, if Paige laughed it off. "I could get you a job at The Brew, where I work. And there's an apartment over the restaurant, if you don't mind sharing with a guy."

"Huh!" Paige tilted her head. "Well, if none of the internships comes through, I'll have to give that some thought."

As they drove along a little farther down the road, Paige put her wrist on top of the steering wheel, letting her left hand dangle over it while her right hand maintained its loose grip on the bottom of the circle. There was something confident yet relaxed about the maneuver that caught Emily's attention, and she put her hand on Paige's thigh, rubbing down to her knee before she rested it there. Paige looked over and smiled at the tender gesture, oblivious to what had inspired it.

"How about you? How did your parents react when they found out that you were gay?"

Emily took a deep breath as she contemplated the question. "I mean," Paige said quickly, "If you want to talk about it. We don't have to get into it in the car."

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just… Where do I begin? I guess… Well, there was a lot of weird shit going on in my life when I was in high school. I mean, that's the kind of thing that we couldn't get into in the car. We'd need the whole night to get into that." Paige glanced away from the road to give Emily a confused smile. "Anyway, the point is, my Dad – he was deployed when all that stuff started – so, when he got back, he asked me what was going on, was somebody threatening me, and I guess my Mom thought I was into drugs, 'cause my neighbor was into drugs, so… But it turned out, wasn't into drugs, but I was into my neighbor."

"Wow."

"Yeah. And, I mean, he was pretty cool about it. My Mom was all freaked out. I didn't know it, but she knew about me and Maya, because someone sent her some pictures."

Paige raised an eyebrow. "Pictures?"

"From a party. A photo booth. It was just a kiss. Maya caught me off guard. We weren't even dating back then. I was dating a guy at the time."

"So, your mom freaked out."

"Yeah. She was worried that I was going to Hell, she couldn't believe my Dad wasn't all freaked out about it. But, you know." Emily shrugged. "Eventually, she realized that I was still her daughter. Still Emily. Just that I liked girls."

"So, you guys have a good relationship?"

Emily nodded eagerly. "I love my Dad. I was always a daddy's girl. And my Mom, too. Especially with my Dad being deployed so often, we had to lean on each other."

"You're really lucky."

"Yeah." Emily didn't want to come off too enthusiastic, knowing that Paige didn't have a great relationship with her parents, but she knew that she really was lucky. "My parents are great. I'd really love for them to meet you."

Paige put her hand on top of Emily's and gave it a gentle squeeze, looking over as she affirmed, "I'd really like that, too."


	16. In the Shops

"I'll be quick," Emily promised, unlatching her seat belt after Paige parked in front of a mom-and-pop antique store.

"Don't rush on my account," Paige said, taking Emily's hand and giving it a slight squeeze as they headed to the entrance. "I could use a break from driving, anyway." That was a slight exaggeration. Paige did need to get out of the driver's seat and move around a bit, but, had she been by herself, she probably would have kept going. But she was in no hurry to get back to school and bring their perfect weekend to a close. She was happy for an excuse to spend some more time with her girlfriend.

Emily cupped her cheek and gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks for doing all the driving."

As Paige held the door, Emily strode in first, looking back at her girlfriend with a smile that asked, "Are you ready for this?" Paige nodded, with a nod and a look of resolve.

A man seated behind the counter looked up from his crossword with a smile. He was listening to big band music from the forties, on a radio that appeared to be as old as he was. They could smell the heat from its tubes, glowing through the slits that were carved into its wooden casing for cooling. "Feel free to look around," he said in a deep, scraggly voice, "and, if you need any help on anything, just give me a holler."

"That music reminds me of my Mom," Emily told Paige once they were out of the owner's view. "Whenever my Dad gets back from duty, the first thing she wants to do is go ballroom dancing."

"Aww..."

"I know, right?"

"Do you do ballroom, too?"

Emily sighed. "There may be some very embarrassing pictures of me when I was younger in these godawful, flowing, pink dresses that not even a bridesmaid would wear." She buried her head in Paige's shoulder, embarrassed at the memory.

"Aw! I'm sure you looked..." When Paige saw the menacing look that Emily was giving her, she chose her words carefully. "I'm sure you made your mother very happy with that dress."

"Let's just say," Emily said flatly, "that you're not allowed to friend my Mom on facebook, because those pictures are classified."

Paige laughed. "That's why they invented facebook! Another way for parents to embarrass their kids!"

"So, there are embarrassing pictures of you on facebook?"

"Nope!" Paige said smugly. "I was way too cool when I was a kid. I mean," - Paige gestured at her body with her hands - "obviously!"

"Uh huh." Emily rolled her eyes.

"That, and my Mom hasn't figured out facebook yet."

* * *

Emily was flitting from one display to another, occasionally letting go of Paige's hand for a second as she picked up an item to examine it.

"Looking for anything in particular?"

Emily sighed. "Inspiration?" Giving Paige's hand a squeeze, she apologized for taking so long. "I don't have to get this taken care of today."

"Em, it's fine, really." Paige put her hands on Emily's shoulders and raised an eyebrow, to let her know that she wasn't just saying that. "I'm in no hurry to get back home. I'm just enjoying this time with you."

"Be careful what you wish for, McCullers!" Emily spun around quickly, too embarrassed to let Paige see the huge smile that lit up her face at what Paige had just told her.

* * *

"Paige?" A couple of shops and a lunch break later, in the tiny, musty-smelling, and stiflingly hot attic of a Victorian house, Emily spotted a likely candidate and wanted to get Paige's opinion.

Paige was a few steps away, looking over some items that she wasn't really interested in. She just wanted to give Emily a bit of space, so that she didn't feel rushed. When she heard her name, she headed to Emily's side with a genuine smile.

Emily held up an old silver frame that was well-tarnished. Paige nodded. "I like it!" she rubbed it with her shirt sleeve, but it didn't have any effect.

"I like the tarnish," Emily explained. "It gives it a vintage feel. My Mom has a picture from their wedding that I'm going to get my friend, Aria, to scan," she continued. "She can print it out in, like, a sepia tint, you know?"

Paige smiled. "Yeah, that actually sounds pretty cool!"

"You think?" Emily scrunched her nose.

"Absolutely!"

Emily shrugged. "I hope they like it."

Paige hugged Emily's shoulder. "They're going to love it. It's thoughtful and personal, and it came from you."

* * *

It was dark by the time they got back to Paige's apartment, after a stop to pick up dinner. When they finished eating, Emily told Paige to let her take care of the dishes. "Go get some rest. You deserve it." Paige, who was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, didn't need much convincing.

Emily threw away the take-out containers and wiped everything down. When she got to the bedroom, Paige was lying on her back, with her arm covering her eyes. "Hey," she said, without stirring, when she heard Emily walk in.

"Hey." Emily sat next to Paige on the bed. "Tired?"

Paige's yawn answered for her. "A little," she said. She didn't really want to sleep. Once she woke up, it would be Monday, and she and Emily would be back into their college routine.

"Here." Emily sat on her knees, next to Paige, and began unbuttoning her shirt. Paige smiled, perking up a little at this development. "Roll over." When Paige complied, taking off her shirt, Emily sat on her back and undid her bra. She rubbed Paige's shoulders and back, feeling the muscles start to relax underneath her hands. Starting low at the base of her back, she worked her way up, rubbing the sides and pressing her fists into Paige's back, giggling at the tremolo of Paige's moans modulated by the vibrations against her spine. She leaned down and growled out a phrase, punctuating each word with kisses to Paige's neck, shoulders, and back: "You. Are. So. Fucking. Hot."

Paige rolled over underneath Emily, and Emily got a tingle from the intensity of Paige's gaze. When she dipped her head, her hair fell, covering her face, and she pulled it into a ponytail, securing it with a holder from her wrist.

Paige unzipped Emily's sleeveless hoodie and pulled on its sides to bring her in for some deep kisses. Emily, impatient with the fabric of her bra between her and Paige's bare breasts, stood up quickly and shrugged off her top and reached behind her back to undo the clasp. Paige smiled like an overstimulated child in anticipation of beholding one of her favorite sights: Emily's breasts dropping as they were liberated from her bra. Once that need was satisfied, she jumped up, as eager to get out of her shorts as Emily was to get into them.

"So, you're not too tired?" Emily joked.

"For you? Never!" She tumbled Emily on the bed, but Emily had other plans.

"Uh-uh," she chided. "You already took care of me. Now, I get to take care of you!"

* * *

Paige and Emily stayed up late into the night, both sleepy, both knowing that they were going to suffer for it the next day, but neither wanting the night to end.

"Remember when we used to spend all night on the phone together?" Emily asked.

"This is a million times better." Emily, feeling the softness and warmth of Paige's body pressed against hers, couldn't have agreed more. "It's so much better to be able to kiss you." Paige kissed the back of Emily's neck, to make her point. "And to feel your fingers interlaced with mine." Emily brought their joined hands to her lips and kissed Paige's knuckles.

"Do you want to come with me next weekend when I give my parents their anniversary gift?" Emily held her breath as she waited for Paige's reply.

Paige giggled. "You want me to meet your parents?"

Emily turned around in Paige's arms and shrugged, looking down shyly as she traced a finger between Paige's breasts and down to her navel. "I just wanted another weekend with you."

"I want that, too," Paige said with a kiss and a smile.

"I understand if you have too much work..."

"Em, I _want_ to go. Really." Paige gave Emily another kiss. "It might be fun to see a happy family for a change."

Emily touched Paige's cheek, feeling a little guilty for having a family whom she was looking forward to spending time with. "I'd like to meet _your_ parents, too," she offered honestly.

Paige laughed, pulling Emily in tight. "That," she told her, "is the one trip I _wouldn't_ want to take with you! You're going to have to make that one by yourself!"

"Oh, stop!" Emily smacked Paige on the shoulder.

"Come here." As Paige kissed Emily, she let her hands drift down to squeeze Emily's ass. Emily found herself grinding against Paige's thigh.

She captured Paige's lower lip in her teeth and tugged on it a little. "You're not going to let me get any sleep tonight, are you?"

* * *

Paige stumbled out of the bed and into a t-shirt. With her eyes still have closed, she trundled down the hall and knocked on the bathroom door.

Emily opened the door with a mascara pen in her hand. "Hey... Did you need to get in here?"

Paige stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and shook her head. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Why are you up so early?"

Emily rolled her eyes, going back to putting mascara on them. "Because I'm still a freshman, and, unlike some juniors I know, I still have 9AM classes on Mondays."

Paige was fixated on the sight of Emily putting on her face. After a few moments of seeing her standing there, staring, Emily looked over. "Did you need something else?" Paige smiled lecherously. Emily sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes.

"It just sucks seeing you make yourself so beautiful and knowing that I won't get to appreciate it. Meanwhile, a whole classroom full of hormonal freshmen will get to ogle you all period long."

"Yeah, but you're the only one who gets to see these." Emily pulled her bra up, giving Paige a quick flash of the twins. Paige was almost salivating at the sight. Emily briefly considered whether or not she could skip her morning class, ultimately concluding that skipping wouldn't be such a great idea.. "Go," she told Paige, giving her a gentle nudge. "You're going to make me late." When Paige pouted, Emily promised, "I'll have a special treat for you when I get back, okay?"

"Oh, you're coming back here?"

Emily's mouth dropped open, but no words came out. She had just assumed that she was no problem with her back. "Um, just to pick up my bag, I mean," said, quickly backtracking. She looked up apologetically and saw the mischievous smile on Paige's face. Paige remembered Emily's "You're still here?" comment from their first night together, and wanted a little payback. Emily gave her a shove, pushing her out of the doorway.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Paige protested as Emily closed the door in her face. "Do I still get a treat?"

Emily opened the door. "Only because you're so cute when you're pathetic!"

Paige retreated to her bedroom and got back under the covers. She was still awake when Emily returned to the bedroom get dressed, and she watched in silence as Emily pulled on a top and wriggled into a pair of skinny jeans, then leaned against the wall as she lifted her left foot, followed by her right, as she put her boots on. When Emily left, closing the bedroom door behind her, Paige realized that she couldn't wait until class was over to collect her treat. She put one hand under her shirt and the other between her legs as she reran the fresh images of Emily in her mind: First, standing in front of the mirror pouting at her reflection as she applied her makeup, then stepping into clothes and fluffing out her hair in the dim light of the bedroom.

Paige was beginning to lose herself when the door opened abruptly.

"Okay, I love... Whoops!" Emily, caught off guard, burst into laughter.

Paige froze, red-faced in embarrassment. Emily came over next to Paige on the bed and lifted the sheet. "What's going on down there?" she asked playfully.

"Oh, you know." Paige was acting as casual as she could, caught, as it were, with her pants down. "Just... um... thinking about my hot girlfriend."

"So, this is what you do when I'm not around?"

Paige snatched the sheet back and covered herself, pretending to be offended. "Oh, don't pretend that you've never fantasized about me..."

"I'm not denying it," Emily said, putting her hands up. Her voice suddenly turned deep and serious. "In fact, why do you think I'm going to be sitting in the back row during class?"

Paige licked her lips. She couldn't help squeezing her legs together. "Hurry back," she said, breathlessly.

Emily leaned on top of her to give her a penetrating kiss. "I will," she promised, in her most seductive tone. Ghosting her hand on top of the sheet from Paige's chest down to her legs, she added, "Save some of that for me, Tiger!"


	17. In the Car

Emily was excited and terrified at the prospect of going back to Rosewood with Paige for her parents' anniversary. She kept telling herself that this wasn't really taking Paige home to meet her parents. It was way too early for that.

Or was it?

Emily couldn't decide, but, after all, they had been together for almost the entire school year. Those early "friends with benefits," "just friends," and "it's complicated" days had to count for something, she reasoned.

Still, they hadn't been together officially for very long. And Paige - or Emily, herself, could always walk. Their relationship hadn't been through any of the kinds of tests that make or break couples. Although, she had to admit, their pre-relationships had seen them overcome their share of hurdles.

Anyway, this wasn't meeting the parents. It was like taking her girlfriend to a wedding. Or a family function.

_Shit._

The more Emily tried to convince herself of what it wasn't, the more she realized that it was.

Emily knew that Paige would be a step up from Maya, in her parents' eyes. She wasn't into drugs; she was in college, making something of her life; she didn't cheat on Emily.

_Whoops_.

No, Paige never cheated on Emily, but Paige slept with a lot of girls before they were official. Including Emily. Her parents would have massive coronaries if they ever found out about that.

So, they would have to avoid that topic. Of course. It's not the kind of topic you bring up with your parents - or your girlfriend's parents. Unless you're Hanna.

_Shit. Hanna._

Emily made a mental note to brief Hanna before the trip. She had a panic attack when it occurred to her that Hanna may already have said something about Paige to her parents, back when the girls held their intervention. If Hanna had, and if Pam and Wayne made the connection between Intervention Girl and Paige, this weekend would go south in a hurry.

Emily called Hanna.

"Duh! Of course, we didn't tell your parents about the intervention! 'Hi, Pam! Hi, Wayne! So, we're going to have a chat with your daughter, because, ever since she went to college, she's been having **a lot** of sex, with Paige McCullers. Remember that name. She might become your daughter-in-law someday."

"Okay, Hanna, but I actually wouldn't put that past you."

" _Moi_?"

"Yeah, yeah," Emily said sarcastically. "What was I thinking? Listen, just be careful what you say, okay? Paige and I met in math class. We became friends, and she was there for me when I went through my breakups with Spencer and Dakotah. Our first date was the Spring Formal. Got it?"

* * *

Paige and Emily were both a bit on-edge about the prospect of the drive. It wasn't going to be like the drive to their romantic getaway, where they had the tingle of nervous anticipation that only increased as they got nearer and nearer to their destination. That was the good kind of nerves; the feeling in the pit of your stomach as the roller coaster slowly climbs higher and higher up the tracks. You know what's about to come, and it's a bit terrifying, but you can't wait for the thrill of it all.

This was like the anticipation of taking the SATs. It's going to be long, and you hope it's going to go well, but there's no real way to tell how well you've prepared for it until you're in the middle of it.

And the consequences - good or bad - will shape the rest of your life.

_But, no pressure._

Fortunately, they were riding home with Spencer. They were both counting on having a third person in the car to relieve some of the tension.

Spencer took the first leg of the trip. It was early, so Emily curled up to sleep in the front seat, and Paige curled up to sleep in the back seat. The strategy was for Paige to keep Emily awake when it was her turn to drive and Spencer's turn to sleep.

* * *

"Wake up!" Spencer called pleasantly, rustling Emily's shoulder and turning her head to the back seat. "Breakfast!"

Spencer pulled her sweater from the back and exited the car, stretching. Paige got out and gave her hand to Emily, helping her out of the front seat. She pulled Emily in for a quick hug and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. Emily crossed her arms in front of her, leaning sleepily into Paige as they walked up to the diner.

Paige hadn't spent a lot of time with Spencer, and she was kind of looking forward to getting to know her. After all, Emily kept telling her how alike they were. She liked to tease Paige by saying that Paige was the third Spencer in her life, after Spencer the roommate and Spencer the ex. "But you're the first 'Spencer' in my heart," she quickly added, "and the only one in my bed!" Also, whenever Paige had a Hastings moment, Emily was likely to say something like, "Okay, Deuce!" - as in "Spencer #2."

"If anything, she's Paige #2," Paige grumbled. "I'm older!"

* * *

Emily kind of felt like a mom who had arranged a play date for her child. She kept pointing out things that Paige and Spencer had in common, hoping that they would pick up on something and launch into an animated conversation while she sat back and nodded at her friend-building skills.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. It wasn't as if Paige and Spencer were hostile to each other. It's just that they didn't see in themselves the things that, to Emily, made them so alike. Neither one consider herself a perfectionist or a stickler or a trivia geek - or whatever else Emily tried.

Emily leaned back and her seat and sighed. She silently prayed that things would go better when Paige met her parents.

Realizing she was getting nowhere, she gave up with a mild sigh, and sat, enjoying her food, until one of the servers came out of the kitchen and updated a whiteboard with the specials.

"Oh, come on!" Spencer droned.

"Right?" Paige shook her head and waved her hand.

"What happened?"

Paige pointed to the whiteboard, where the server had written, "Todays Special's"

"It's as if he's going out of his way to misplace the apostrophe!"

And that was all it took. One simple apostrophe was all it took to get Paige and Spencer talking. Emily sat back and watched, as if looking at a sitcom, as they commiserated over their most hated grammatical and spelling errors, and over the decline and fall of the English language in general.

* * *

Paige picked up the check, the trio having agreed that she and Emily would pay for food and Spencer would cover gas. Spencer handed over her keys and crawled into the back seat.

"So," Emily breathed out, a few miles into the final leg of the journey, by way of bringing up the subject of the elephant in the room.

Paige echoed, "So..."

"Are you excited to meet my parents?" Emily lifted her hands off the wheel momentarily for an exaggerated fist pump. "I mean," she backtracked, "not _meet my parents_ meet my parents, just..." She looked at Paige, pleading.

"I'm excited for a weekend with my girlfriend, and our first 'couple' event since we became official. And I'm excited to meet the two most important people in your life."

Emily smiled at Paige, giving her thigh a squeeze. "Well," she corrected with a wink, "they're in the top three!"

A few moments later, she asked, "Did you ever meet Terri's parents?"

Paige nodded. "I mean, Terri and I grew up together, so I knew them before we started going out. I've known them since I was a kid."

"Oh, right!" Emily nodded. "You know, growing up an Army Brat, I forget that most people grow up with the same friends all their lives."

"You guys moved around a lot?"

Emily nodded, ticking off some of the places her father had been stationed. "When I got to high school, though, they decided that it was better for me to spend four years in the same place."

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"My Dad has still bounced around a couple of times, but my Mom and I stuck it out in Rosewood."

"Well, it's good that he can get back for their anniversary."

Emily looked over and nodded. "No way he'd miss that! Or Christmas. So, anyway - you grew up with Terri?" Paige nodded. "Was it awkward with her parents when you guys started going out?"

"Not really. Terri was already out by then, so they had already been through that drama. It didn't really get awkward till Terri dumped me and went to college, you know? - And I still had to see her parents everywhere..."

Emily glanced over at Paige with an empathetic cringe.

"How about you? How did it go with Maya's parents?"

Emily shrugged, running her hand through her hair. "I never really 'met them' met them. They weren't really all that involved in her life. She lived with her mom, and she introduced me a couple of times when I went over to her house. Like, four or five times, and each time her mom was like, 'Oh, it's so nice to meet you,' you know?"

After that subject fizzled out, Emily peeked into the back seat, to ensure that Spencer was sleeping. "So, you and Spencer had a lot to talk about."

Paige laughed quietly. "I love your friends." Emily laughed out loud. Paige smiled, confused. "What?"

"Even Marina?"

Paige rolled her eyes. "Hanna I can deal with. Marina, on the other hand…"

Emily squeezed Paige's knee and mouthed the word "Sorry."

Paige just shrugged. "I guess I didn't really realize how strong my feelings for you were," she said, leaning her head back. "Actually, that's not true. I guess it was just that, I don't know, I kind of took for granted that you were always going to be there, you know? That whatever we had was real. You'd always come over, and we'd spend the weekends together."

Emily moved up to Paige's cheek. "It _was_ real, Paige. I loved spending those weekends with you."

"Yeah. You're right. It was real. But it just feels better, now that it's official. I don't know. Just the thought that someone could come and steal you away from me…"

"That would never happen."

They both laughed when they heard a "Hmmmph" from the back seat. They couldn't tell whether it was just a noise that Spencer made in her sleep, or she was consciously or semi-consciously reacting to their syrupy sweet conversation. Either way, the noise was perfectly timed and it eased their mood a bit.

* * *

Spencer was awake by the time they reached the familiar "Welcome to Rosewood" sign. When they pulled up to Emily's house, Paige retrieved their bags from the trunk, and Emily, with a wave good-bye to Spencer, took Paige's arm, smiling as they headed up the walk. Pam was waiting on the porch with a large smile plastered on her face, unable to keep her hands still. She had greatly missed her only daughter. The feeling was mutual. Spencer honked the horn and waved to Pam, rolling down the window and yelling, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Emily let go of Paige's arm to run into her mother's, giving her a tight hug. Paige was glad to stand by and observe their reunion. It was something foreign to her. She wondered how it would feel to have her parents that excited to see her.

"And this must be Paige!" Pam's voice was as enthusiastic as her expression. She squeezed Paige's cheeks before she pulled her down for a hug and a kiss. "I've heard so much about you!"

_Not too much_ , Paige silently hoped.

Pam linked arms with her and Emily and ushered them inside. Emily's dad was waiting for them there. Wayne Fields had an air about him that was welcoming rather than intimidating, but definitely military. He, too, had a big smile and a big hug for his daughter. He extended his hand to Paige, segueing from handshake to hug as he introduced himself. "Wayne Fields. Call me Wayne." Paige was relieved to have that question answered.

Wayne led Paige upstairs to drop off the luggage and get her settled into the guest room, while Pam spirited Emily off somewhere. Wayne engaged Paige in small talk as they walked, and Paige took in the pictures of Emily, her parents, and of Emily with her parents.

"This is you," Wayne said, opening the door to a cozy-looking room with a double bed. "Take your time and get settled. We'll be downstairs." Wayne pointed out the bathroom down the hall before he left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Paige sat on the bed and did a quick, 360-degree inventory of the room. It was full of trophies, ribbons, and framed news articles, covering Emily's swimming career. Paige walked over to one of the framed pictures of Emily, standing between her parents in her warm-up suit, holding a bouquet of victory flowers with a gold medal draped over her neck. The smiles on their faces were identical. The resemblance between Emily and her mother was obvious, but Paige also picked up some of Wayne in her; in the way that she carried herself. Paige smiled, touching the image of Emily's face. She looked so young. Paige bobbled the picture and set it back down on the bureau quickly when she heard a soft knock at the door.

"Paige?"

Paige opened the door for Emily.

"Hi," Emily said with a quick kiss. "I wasn't sure whether or not you were getting dressed."

"Your dad closed the door," Paige explained. "Why? Should I change?"

Emily shook her head no. Her hands were still on Paige's shoulders as they stood in the doorway. Paige's hands were linked above Emily's hips. "We're just going to start dinner. Are you coming down?"

Paige nodded. "I'm just going to get settled for a minute."

Emily mirrored Paige's nod and gave her another kiss. "I'll see you down there."

Dinner was pleasant. Pam and Emily prepared a chicken and rice dish that Paige was familiar with. Emily had made it for her at college. Paige wasn't sure whether it was a staple of their repertoire, or Pam chose to make it because Emily had told her how much Paige liked it.

After dinner, as Paige handed Emily a plate for the dishwasher, Emily gave her a kiss. "Thanks for coming with me this weekend."

"My pleasure!"

Emily rubbed Paige's arm. "Are you okay?"

Paige smiled and kissed Emily's forehead. "I'm having a good time."

Emily wanted everything - everybody - to be okay. This was her first time bringing a girlfriend to spend the night in her parents' home. That made her feel grown up, but the fact that Paige had to sleep in the guest room made her feel like a kid again. She didn't want Paige to think of her like that; as a kid. Paige was two years older, and there was still a part of Emily that worried that Paige would outgrow her, or simply grow tired of hanging out with a freshman. She knew that it wasn't a rational fear; Paige had never treated her like a child. Still, they were in that house, which seemed like a shrine to Emily's childhood. And, she was with her parents, and, no matter how old a child is, parents have a way of reasserting the parent-child relationship. Just a few minutes earlier, at dinner, Wayne scolded Emily for leaving an empty soda bottle on the kitchen counter. It was no big thing, but it made Emily feel about five years old. She glanced at Paige when it happened, to gauge her reaction, but Paige didn't seem to have taken notice.

In the middle of doing the dishes, Emily abruptly took Paige by the shoulders and gave her a kiss. She needed to be kissed like an adult. She needed to kiss Paige like an adult; to make it unmistakably clear to Paige that she wasn't a kid.

Paige pulled away with a satisfied smile. "What was that for?" she asked in a low voice.

"Just..." Emily shrugged. "You know."

That was a good enough reason for Paige. She pulled Emily in for an instant replay.

* * *


	18. In the Master Bedroom

Emily knocked on the door to the guest room softly, pushing it open when she got no reply. "Paige?"

Paige sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes, and extended her arm, inviting Emily in for a hug. Emily fell into the hug, folding her legs under herself on the bed, and Paige wrapped her arms tight around her. "Mmmm - I missed this!"

"Same," Paige cooed. "I was thinking, when we get back to campus, why don't you move into my apartment?"

Emily pushed away from Paige, her hand still on Paige's chest and her eyes wide open. "Really?"

Paige nodded, and Emily wrapped her in a tight hug. "I would love that!"

They sat enjoying the moment and each other's touch until they heard Pam's voice from the base of the stairs. "Emmy? Paige?"

Emily looked up at Paige, cringing in feigned guilt. "Oops," she said with a devious smile, "I'm supposed to be calling you for breakfast!"

"Ooh," Paige cooed. "Breakfast, too? A girl could get used to this!"

"Hurry up," Emily prodded. "We don't want to get in trouble for being late. Because you know what they'll think!"

"What?" Paige asked, stealing a kiss, "That we're doing this?" She moved her kisses to Emily's neck. "Or this?" The kisses moved still lower. Emily came to her senses when she caught herself moaning.

"Yeah, exactly," she said, pushing away. She got up, moved a couple of feet away from the bed, and just stood there, with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Paige giggled.

"Huh? Nothing!" Emily spoke too quickly. And she couldn't get the lecherous smile off of her face. She wanted to see Paige, between the time she got out from under the sheets and the time that she put something on for breakfast.

Paige pushed the sheets aside and pulled the shirt she had worn to bed over her head. Emily stifled a giggle. "Oh, grow up," Paige teased, and it only made Emily giggle more. Paige made a stripper-face at her and twirled her shirt above her head, shaking the goods for Emily's approval.

"Emily?"

Pam's questioning voice was followed by Wayne's. There was no question is his tone, though. "AIS in ninety seconds!"

"Oh shit!"

"AIS?"

"Asses in seats. Hurry!"

"Can I use the bathroom first?"

"HURRY!"

* * *

Pam and Emily spent most of the morning getting ready for a celebratory picnic in the backyard. While the two of them worked in the kitchen, Paige helped Wayne pick up some supplies - rented chairs, decorations, beverages and ice. They tidied up the yard and got everything set up in time to start moving the food from the kitchen to the picnic area.

When the guests arrived, Emily was busy helping her mother ensure that everything flowed smoothly. Her three best friends were entertaining themselves in a small circle of folding chairs. Paige didn't feel like crashing their party, so she ended up spending most of the time with Wayne. She got him talking about his military career, starting with ROTC in college, through some of his tours, and his present-day life, with the National Guard.

After a while, she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, Emily greeted her with a kiss. "You okay?" she said at barely above a whisper.

Paige nodded. "Just connecting with your dad."

Emily took her by the hand and headed over towards her friends. "Did you meet Aria?"

"Sure," Paige said. "You introduced me, remember?"

"Did you get a chance to talk with her?"

"Yeah, not really. Your friends were kind of doing their own thing, you know..."

"So you'd rather hang out with my father?"

"It's his anniversary, right? Isn't that why I'm here?"

"I just thought you'd like to meet my friends, too, that's all."

"Okay," Paige said cautiously. "Am I missing something here?"

"I don't know, Paige. I don't get why it's so hard for you to hang out with my friends."

Emily was still afraid that Paige thought of her as a kid. The fact that she didn't have anything in common with her friends fed that fear.

"I would love to hang out with your friends, Emily. It's just..."

"What?" Emily interrupted, "You don't have anything in common with them? You don't want to hang out with a bunch of kids?"

"Okay - can we just take a..." Paige caught herself before she said, "time out," thinking that Emily might associate that phrase with being put on time-out, like a child. Instead, she said, "just take a breath here?"

"If my friends are too immature for you, maybe I am, too," Emily sulked softly, putting her fears in words.

Paige exhaled, running her fingers through her hair. "Emily," she said, keeping her voice even. "I don't get where this is even coming from. Just this morning, we were talking about moving in together. Have I ever given you any reason to think that I think of you like a kid."

Emily shrugged. When Paige leaned in closer, raising her eyebrows to ask for an answer, Emily sighed, resignedly, and said, "I don't know, Paige. Did I ever give you a reason to think that I would leave you as soon as we slept together?"

Paige closed her eyes and nodded her head. She got it. Even as her fear that Emily would leave her wasn't based on any valid reasons but was still a real fear, Emily's fear, though it wasn't rational, was still quite real. And Emily needed to hear reassurance out loud, just like Paige. Paige hugged Emily close, speaking directly into her ear through her hair. "I don't think of you as a child. And I don't think that your friends are immature. When I came out, they were all talking among themselves, and your dad was off by himself, so it was easier to strike up a conversation with him." Paige backed away from the hug, keeping her hands on Emily's shoulders. "But I really want to spend time with your friends, too, okay?"

Emily hugged Paige again, feeling silly and a bit... childish, as she nodded into her shoulder. But Paige was pulling her closer, rubbing her back, and, soon, Emily no longer felt anything other than cherished.

"I'm glad that you're spending time with my Dad. I didn't mean to take you away from that."

* * *

Emily rapped gently on Paige's door to check whether or not she was ready. She opened the door when Paige beckoned her in and stood in shock, needing a moment to take everything in.

Paige was bent slightly at the waist, looking into the mirror as she put her earrings in. Her hair was up, giving a clean view of the pearl earrings and the coordinating necklace. Her dress was black, tastefully scooped in the front and tastefully hemmed just above the knee. Her feet were bare, with three or four pairs of pumps scattered off to the side.

"Wow!" Emily wasn't used to seeing Paige in a dress. It was a look that she could definitely pull off.

Paige turned around with a smile. "I could say the same thing!" Emily's dress was a deep navy blue, sleeveless, showcasing her arms. It hit just below the knees, drawing attention to her calves. She had gold stud earrings, a slender gold chain around her neck, a gold bangle watch, and a long, gold ring that cradled the lower half of her index finger.

"You know," Paige rasped in a soft voice, her hands on Emily's hips, "maybe we should let your parents have the evening to themselves tonight."

"Yeah?" Emily played along. "And what would we do?"

Paige put her hand on Emily's cheek and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "I'm sure we can find a way to pass the time."

Emily rubbed her hands quickly down Paige's back, dipping as far as her thigh and back up again, splitting the distance. "Mmmm... don't tempt me, Paige."

"Fine," Paige sighed. "Let's go celebrate. Which shoes should I wear?"

* * *

They had dinner reservations at an upscale restaurant that was just outside of Rosewood and was Pam's favorite. Paige and Emily were holding hands as they entered, and the maître d' looked down his nose at them. He didn't have the guts to say anything, and the girls let it pass, not wanting anything to spoil Pam and Wayne's special night. It wasn't often that they got to dress up and go out to dinner, much less for an occasion like their twentieth anniversary.

Paige listened eagerly as Pam and Wayne tag-teamed on the story of how they met, how long they dated, and how Wayne proposed (although Wayne insisted that it was Pam who popped the question). They shared memories of their wedding and their first twenty years of "for better or worse."

Emily had heard the stories before, but she listened just as eagerly. From her perspective, now that she was dating Paige, the stories had an entirely new relevance. She squeezed Paige's hand under the table, thinking what it would be like to tell similar stories to her children someday - her story and, conceivably, Paige's. Perhaps the kids wouldn't get the entire story, but Emily was pretty sure that there were parts of of the story that her parents were holding back, too.

As they waited for dessert, Emily handed over the gift bag with the framed picture. Aria had done a wonderful job. Paige had a card for Pam and Wayne, with a poem that she had written for the occasion.

After Wayne settled the check, Pam announced that she had another gift for him: She had booked a night for them at the Méridien Hotel in Philadelphia. Wayne's face exploded in surprise and delight. Paige's face exploded in surprise and delight. Emily smiled at her with a wink.

As they headed back home, where the girls were getting dropped off, Paige typed out a text to Emily, showing it to her on her screen, to make it less obvious that they were having a conversation in the back seat: "u knew abt this?"

Emily took Paige's phone, glancing quickly to ensure that her parents weren't looking, and texted back: ":) who do u think gave my mom the idea?"

Emily, looking straight ahead of her, so as not to draw attention to what she was doing, began rubbing Paige's thigh. Paige stifled a gasp. Emily's hand was cool against her bare skin - or perhaps it was just that Paige's skin was already starting to get hot. When Emily's hand roamed beneath Paige's dress, Paige had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. Wayne caught a glimpse of her head as it fell back against the headrest, the movement having drawn his attention to the rear view mirror. Her eyes were closed. Wayne cleared his throat and Paige lifted her head off of the headrest, trying to make it appear that she had simply fallen asleep. With Wayne on the alert to the goings on in the back seat, Paige didn't dare glare at Emily to get her to stop. That would surely have tipped off Wayne that something was happening. Besides, she didn't want Emily to stop. The surreptitiousness was actually a turn-on. And Emily had no intention of stopping. She kept rubbing slow, firm circles against Paige's thigh. Paige, on reflex, squeezed her legs closer together. She really needed to get out of the car. The drive home seemed so much longer than the drive to the restaurant.

Pam began engaging in idle chit-chat with Emily, looking at her in the rear view, turning slightly from time to time, to see her face. Emily nodded and smiled at appropriate times, keeping up her end of the conversation when she had to, but never letting her hand falter beneath Paige's dress. The sustained rhythm was driving Paige crazy. She gripped the handle of the door and gasped as she inadvertently hit the button to roll down the window. That helped - she was able to let out the gasp, and the cool air did her good. And everybody laughed, giving her another opportunity to take gulps of much-needed oxygen.

When they finally made it home, she and Emily still weren't out of the woods. They had to wait for Pam and Wayne to get packed and get lost. Emily helped her mom get packed. Paige paced around the guest room, not wanting to get undressed - not even to get out of her shoes. When the time came, she wanted Emily to get the full effect.

And she wanted Emily to undress her.

Paige and Emily tried not to look too eager as they ushered Emily's parents out of the door. They exchanged hugs, and Emily warned them not to do anything she wouldn't do. Pam glared at her. She knew that they would all be doing the same thing, except that the girls would get a head start. She didn't know that the girls had already started.

No sooner had the car pulled out of the driveway than Paige's arms were around Emily's waist and Emily's were around Paige's neck as they kissed each other desperately.

Emily had gotten out of her shoes, and was up on her tiptoes atop Paige's feet. "Do you know what I want to do to you?"

Paige smirked. She had a pretty good idea.

"So," Emily asked between kisses, "where shall we get started?"

"Your parents' bed?"

Emily's mouth went wide, and she smacked Paige's shoulder. Something just seemed so wrong about the suggestion.

Still...

Emily pulled Paige by hand the dragging her into the master bedroom. "Do you think they'll notice that we washed the sheets?"

"Just tell them it was another anniversary present."

They knew that her parents would see right through that. They were too desperate to care. Before long, their clothes were strewn across the hardwood floor, their exploration of each other's bodies reflected in the mirror on top of the bureau. Paige slowed things down, leading Emily to the bed and turning back the comforter.

Emily was clinging to the headboard, biting down on her index finger. As her body thrashed against the mattress under Paige's unfaltering assault, her mind flashed for a moment to the nights when she'd crawled onto that mattress as a child, frightened by something and seeking comfort between her sleeping parents.

"What's the matter?" Paige asked, feeling the energy drain from Emily's body and the room.

"Nothing." Emily flipped Paige on her back and pounded those distracting thoughts away.

* * *

One of the things that Paige loved most about sleeping with Emily was the cuddling afterwards. There, in the master bedroom, surrounded by the trappings of marriage and commitment, everything felt serene; otherworldly. Paige dared to speak and break the spell. "Hey," she said softly. Emily looked up lovingly, wordlessly. "I'm glad that you're going to come stay at my apartment."

Emily rubbed Paige's stomach and gave her a kiss. Her statement seemed like an opening to discuss the question that had been nagging Emily, so she dove in. "Paige?"

"Yeah?"

"What happens after next year? When you graduate, but I'm still in school? For two whole years?"

Paige stroked the hair away from Emily's face and gazed into her eyes. "Emily, I'm not thinking about one year or two years from now."

_Great._ Emily felt foolish. She should've known. This thing they had was fine for the present, but Paige wasn't thinking about the two of them in the future.

Even though she knew that it wasn't fair to Paige, Emily still couldn't help thinking back to Player Paige _._ Some things never change.

Paige was still talking. "I'm thinking about this," she continued, gesturing at the room around them. "House and home, big bed like this, our cars in the garage, the whole nine yards. I don't know where I'll be in one year, or two. I hope it's close to campus - close to you. But if we're apart for a couple of years, it'll be all right. We'll be all right. I'm in this for the long haul."

Paige leaned her head in a little, seeking a response from Emily, who kissed her. "I'm in it for the long haul, too Paige."


	19. In an Awkward Situation

Emily was in a booth, with her girlfriend next to her and her best friends on either side. They were back in The Grill, their old high school hangout. The place hadn't changed a bit, and there was something comfortable about that.

Emily had her arms around Paige's arm and her head resting on Paige's shoulder. Paige was getting along with her friends, and there was something comfortable about that.

They had no place to rush off to, so they were taking their time, enjoying some caffeinated beverages, and there was something comfortable about that.

All of a sudden, Emily lifted her head from Paige's shoulder and let go of her arm. She focused her eyes on the place setting in front of her, fiddling with the corner of her paper placemat and tapping at the handle of her coffee cup.

Paige looked over, concerned at the sudden change in Emily's behavior. "Are you okay?"

"My ex just walked in." Emily was whispering, as though she were doing something wrong - as if she didn't want Maya to catch her cheating.

"Where is she?" Paige looked up, following the eyes of the other girls at the table, all of whom had craned their necks and started scanning at the Emily's mention of her ex.

Emily tugged at Paige's shoulder to get her to look away. "Paige," she said urgently, still whispering.

'What, Emily?" Paige couldn't help feeling hurt at Emily's reaction. "You don't want to be seen with me?"

"No!" Emily whispered, quickly correcting herself with a regular, albeit soft voice, "No. Of course not. It's just that..."

"It's just that your ex shows up, and all of a sudden you can't be seen sitting so close to me in public anymore?"

Emily's friends' heads all snapped from monitoring Maya back to the table. Emily glared sharply at them, and they looked away.

"Paige," Emily pleaded, her voice still subdued. "Please don't cause a scene." Emily was referring to arguing in front of her friends, but it came out as if she didn't want Paige to embarrass her in front of Maya.

"I get it, Emily. Your ex shows up and you find out that you've still got some feelings. Okay. I'll give you some space." Paige turned her back to Emily, scooting to put some distance between them. The girls looked back and forth between the two of them, not knowing whether they should say or do something.

"Paige!" Emily pleaded. She put her hand on Paige's shoulder, but Paige pulled away. "I don't have any feelings for Maya. I just... She caught me off guard, okay? Imagine how you'd feel if it had been Terri who walked in!"

"And imagine how you'd feel if I pretended I didn't know you," Paige shot over her shoulder.

Emily sighed. "I'm sorry! I overreacted! It's not that I don't want her to see me with you - I just... I got nervous seeing her, and I fucked up."

Paige took a deep breath and turned around. "Okay," she said evenly.

Emily's face was still full of worry. "Are you still mad at me?"

Paige shook her head. Emily leaned closer and gave her a kiss. Paige rubbed Emily's shoulder, and Emily settled in around Paige's arm again.

Aria looked at them with her mouth open. "That's it?"

Paige gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"It's over? Just like that?"

Paige shrugged. "I was upset, but she explained what happened and apologized." Paige turned her attention back to Emily. "And I apologize, too, Em. I should have been more sensitive. I know it's not easy to run into your ex when you're not expecting to." Emily gave Paige's shoulder a kiss and squeezed a little tighter.

Maya had picked up on the tail end of the commotion coming from the booth. The smirk quickly disappeared from her face when she saw Paige and Emily behaving like newlyweds. Emily risked peeking over toward the spot at the counter where she had last seen Maya waiting for her order. Maya, when she caught Emily's gaze, rolled her eyes, shook her head, grabbed her drink, and ducked out.

After coffee, Emily and Paige said their good-byes to Hanna and Aria and walked back to Emily's house. They took the scenic route, so that Emily could show Paige some of her old haunts. They got back to the house for some quick sandwiches with Pam and Wayne before they packed up their things and waited for Spencer to show up with the car.

They took a dinner break on the road, making it back to campus shortly before midnight. Spencer dropped Paige and Emily off at Paige's apartment. Emily had planned to spend one more night with Spencer and start her move after her Monday classes, but Spencer said it was fine. Emily was tired, and didn't argue. She knew that she would sleep better with Paige there.

* * *

Before they drifted off to sleep that night, Emily asked, "Paige? Do you want to talk about what happened with Maya?"

Paige stroked Emily arm comfortingly. "If you do," she answered, nonchalantly. Even though the incident was settled in her mind, she respected Emily's need to talk it through.

Emily nodded. "I do."

"Okay. But would it be okay if we did it later? I really need to get some sleep tonight."

"Yeah, of course," Emily assured her. "I wasn't thinking right now. We could both use some time to process things."

Paige pressed a gentle kiss to Emily's lips.

"I love you." Emily wanted to be sure that there was nothing between them. Her father had always told her never to go to bed angry. She wasn't angry about the incident, but she needed to know that Paige wasn't, either.

"I know," Paige said softly. She pulled Emily close, kissing the back of Emily's shoulder when Emily spun around in her arms to get into sleeping position. "I love you, too."

* * *

Paige woke up to a kiss against her lips as Emily headed out to her Monday morning class. Quickly coming to, Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's neck and pulled her closer. "I miss having a class with you."

Emily chuckled. "Do you miss getting up early on Monday morning after a late Sunday night?"

"No," Paige yawned, sitting up slightly. "I miss it when you used to sit near the front, and I got to watch you for the entire period. It was like slow torture - watching you play with your hair, or reach your arms up and stretch..."

Emily laughed. She remembered those days well - and the nights that often followed. "Paige McCullers! So you're telling me that the thing you miss is ogling me like a creeper?" Emily took a seat on the bed and stroked Paige's hair. "Who knew you were such a perv?" she added in a low, seductive voice.

"I'll tell you who was a perv - Dr. Surber! That guy..." Paige shook her head with a menacing look.

"So, if he was a perv, that would make you..."

"An admirer of a beautiful work of art?"

Emily rolled her eyes at Paige's cheesy justification. Still, she admitted, "You're sweet," and gave Paige a quick kiss. "But I've got to go." With that, she headed for the door, taking a quick peek to confirm that Paige still looked on her as a work of art.

* * *

After classes that morning, Emily went back to her campus apartment and began packing her things. She planned to take things slowly, taking a few things over at a time; gradually clearing out of her room; gradually settling in to Paige's.

"Are you excited?" Spencer asked, her own eyes sparkling with vicarious excitement.

Emily shrugged. "I guess so. I mean, it's going to be great to be with Paige, but... I don't know. It doesn't feel like that big a step, you know? It just feels like - I don't know; taking Lit 102 after taking Lit 101, you know what I mean? Of course, you're going to take 102. That's pretty much the point of taking 101."

"Yeah, I think I get that."

Emily stopped packing, looking concerned. "I guess I _should_ be excited, shouldn't I? Is that bad?"

Spencer got up to give Emily a hug. "No, it's not bad. Excited is good, but comfortable is better. Excited has that element of fear about it, but comfortable is easy; a natural progression. Be happy for comfortable!"

* * *

There was a nervous tension later that night as Paige and Emily prepared dinner; tension that lingered all through the actual eating of dinner itself. Paige didn't know whether it had to do with the topic that Emily had brought up before they fell asleep the night before, or with the fact that, even though it was just a college apartment, she and Emily were, pretty much, living together. She assumed that the tension was from a combination of both things.

Emily had been all smiles and enthusiasm earlier that evening as she unpacked the first wave of her belongings and they found places for everything. But Paige knew that the reality of being in a situation sets in after the adrenaline of working toward that situation settles down. The move meant that she and Emily were committed on a different level than before. And Emily was leaving behind her good friend, Spencer, the one who had been her anchor in the transition from high school to college.

And then, there was the Maya situation. Again, it was another milestone: Even though Maya and Emily weren't together and hadn't been for almost a year, seeing an ex for the first time after a break-up is a milestone, and if the ex has moved on with someone new - or, even if it's you yourself who moved on - it's even bigger.

So, Paige wasn't completely surprised that there was some tension in the air. Ordinarily, she would've confronted head-on, but since it potentially involved Emily and her ex, Paige decided to let it play out. If Emily gave some obvious signals that she wanted to be asked, or if things got to be too awkward, Paige would bring it up. Otherwise, she would let Emily set the pace.

"Do you have a lot of work to do tonight?" Emily asked as they cleared the table.

"A little," Paige sighed. "Not a lot. How about you?"

Emily shook her head. "Not too much. Do you think we could have that talk tonight?"

"Sure."

They ended up on the couch. Paige pulled her hair into a pony tail as she sat down, and she smiled towards Emily. Emily smiled tentatively and looked away.

"Okay, well, first of all, I just wanted to say again that I'm sorry for how I reacted."

Paige nodded. "Okay." She didn't really need another apology, but she didn't want to say too much, because it seemed that Emily had a pretty good idea what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. Paige gave her the space to get through it.

"I've been thinking it over, and I think what happened was..." Emily took a deep breath. "Seeing Maya like that – unexpectedly; I mean, I knew that I might run into her in Rosewood, but I wasn't really expecting to see her – not at that moment." Paige nodded. She put her hand on Emily's knee, hoping that would help Emily relax. "I just… panicked. I was afraid that she was going to come over. I thought she might try to start something." Emily looked at Paige, covering Paige's hand with her hand. "So, Paige, I wasn't ashamed of you. I want you to know that."

"I know," Paige said softly, not interrupting Emily's speech.

"I was afraid of what she might do. I thought that she might start something. I mean, if I thought that she and I could behave like rational adults together, I would've taken you over to her and introduced you." Emily nodded her head, hoping for a nod in return, signaling that Paige understood.

Paige nodded.

"And I know that it must've looked bad and childish, but… Well," Emily shrugged. "That's how it happened."

Paige hugged Emily, rubbing her back. "Thank you. I appreciate that, Emily." As they separated, she took both of Emily's hands. "Emily, I know that this is a weird time for you. Last year, you were living with your parents, and, this year, you're living on your own - living with your girlfriend - deciding when you get up and go to bed – and _where_ you go to bed. I've been there, so I know. You kind of feel as if you're still in that old world, and that everybody's judging you, expecting you to expose your immaturity. But, trust me, Em. You're an adult, now. You're growing more and more into your own person. Nobody here thinks of you as a child. The university doesn't. Your professors don't. Your parents might..." Paige smiled, and Emily smiled, turning away. Paige leaned down to look into Emily's eyes as she concluded her thought. "But I don't."

"Okay," Emily said softly, giving Paige another hug.

That was what Emily needed to hear. With Maya, Emily always felt like the little sister, even though they were the same age. Maya was more experienced; Maya knew more about the world. Emily always felt a little intimidated and deferential around her. That may have been the reason she acted out, being bold and uninhibited in bed, in the days after their break-up. A part of Emily dreaded the thought of being in the kind of asymmetrical relationship that she had with Maya again; building a life with someone who always knew more and always had the upper hand. And, even though Paige never made her feel that way, it took Paige's explanation to convince Emily that they were in this thing together as peers; equals.

* * *


	20. In a Public Place

Paige was bored. She'd been sitting behind the counter in the main library's reserve room for the first two and a half hours of her three-hour shift, and there was nothing to do. The reserve room was always dead on Friday nights, but she still had to stay there until it closed. And she couldn't close early.

After she had exhausted every known method of distracting herself, she gave in and took out her phone, which she technically wasn't allowed to do. She was pretty sure that her supervisor wasn't going to show up and reprimand her. She was just about to fire off a text to Emily when the door opened.

"Hey, you!" she said, suddenly animated as she stood to greet Emily with a kiss. "You must've read my mind!"

Emily looked at her with a confused smile, so Paige showed her the screen on her phone, where she had typed, but not yet sent:

**bored. :(**

"So, you're here to distract me?"

Emily gave a sympathetic frown. "I wish." Emily, in her comfortable, baggy sweats, was obviously there to study, not to fool around. "I have some reading to finish up," she explained, "but I started falling asleep back in the apartment, so I decided to take a walk to help me wake up. Then, I figured, I might as well come over here and finish the reading, and let you walk me home after your shift."

"Yay!"

Paige stood there and watched as Emily headed off. "Em?" Emily turned around with a smile. "Where are you going?" Paige pointed out the empty tables in the vicinity of the main desk.

"Paige, we both know that, if I try to study here, especially when you're bored, you'll just end up distracting me the whole time, and I'll end up not getting any work done."

"Please?" Paige whined, her body bending forward as she stretched out the word. "I'll be good! I promise."

Paige's pleading face was irresistible - almost. But Emily knew that she would have to focus on what she had come there to do. She walked back to the front desk and gave Paige a long kiss. Paige's eyes were still closed when Emily started speaking, in a condescending tone. "You're going to need to chill for about 30 minutes, Paige. After that, I'll distract you however you want. Think you can keep your cool for a half hour?"

"Not when my girlfriend's so hot," Paige muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"I guess," Paige said with a resigned sigh and a pout. She added a weak and hopeful, "Bye," as she watched Emily walk away.

"See you later," Emily called over her shoulder.

Once Emily was out of sight, Paige sat down quickly, scanning the security monitors, hoping, at least, to be able to see where Emily ended up settling in to read.

Emily went all the way to a deserted, far corner of the room. Her back was to the security camera as she bent over, taking her time extracting her book and study materials from her backpack. Before she turned around, she pulled her sweatshirt over her head. When she did, the t-shirt underneath rode up, exposing her lower back up to the curves of her waist. Emily took her pony tail out, shaking her hair into place and combing her fingers through it as she turned around, biting her lip. Then, she loosened the tie at the waistband of her sweatpants and pulled them down to her ankles and over her shoes. Underneath, she had on a tiny pair of black running shorts that scooped up on the side by her well-toned thighs and were accented with red piping. She pulled a chair back from the table and sat down, leaning back against it with her never-ending legs propped up on the table. She rubbed her hand up and down her legs, as if checking whether or not she needed to shave. She didn't seem to be in any hurry to get started on her reading.

Emily knew that she would have the whole place to herself, so she was free to put on a little show for the cameras. Paige had told her that Friday nights were the best time to work in the reserve room, because hardly anyone came in, and that she was usually there all by herself for the final hour.

* * *

Paige's eyes were glued to the monitor as Emily pulled a lipstick out of her handbag and applied it to her lips, puckering into the security camera as if it were her mirror. She took a nice, long stretch, linking her hands above her head and arching her back, exposing her navel – and, almost, her bra line.

Paige looked at the clock. Twenty more minutes.

As if there were any doubt as to why Emily had really come by, she stood up and walked over to the wall, bracing herself against it, as the stretched out her legs. She pulled her foot up, stretching it out to the side before she pulled it up near her ear. _Damn! My girl is flexible!_ Emily held the pose as she rotated on her plant-foot with a devilish smirk for the camera.

After a few more stretches, Emily reached for the hem of her t-shirt. Paige's heart started beating wildly. She leaned in closer to the monitor. Emily pulled the shirt over her head, revealing a bright red tank-top that was cropped just below the bust line . She revealed even more as the shirt was going over her head. Emily looked at the clock and pouted at the camera. She still had another ten minutes to wait.

She sat at the table again, showing the camera the book that she had supposedly come there to read, shrugging as if to say, "I might as well get some work done while I wait for you." Her phone buzzed immediately. Paige had only two words:

**don't stop!**

Emily gave the camera a sexy smile, biting her lower lip. She stood up and cleared some space around her and began doing a slow, sultry, sensual dance, moving her body in every possible direction while keeping her eyes fixed on the camera – except during the moments when she turned her back to it for a booty shake.

" **Attention!** " The voice over the speakers was a little shaky. " **The reserve room will be closing in five minutes. Please return any materials to the shelving carts or the front desk.** "

Emily sighed with a pout, heaving her shoulders so that Paige could see that she was sighing. She shrugged her shoulders and picked up her t-shirt when her phone buzzed again:

**NO!**

She gave the camera a puzzled look.

**wait there for me!**

The text was accompanied by several praying-hands emojis.

Emily shrugged at the camera again and leaned back against the table, crossing her long, golden legs and kicking her foot rapidly as she waited.

"Excuse me, miss." Emily gasped in shock at the unexpected voice, smiling when she recognized it. "The reserve room is closed."

"Five more minutes?" she pleaded with big eyes and an adorable pout.

Paige pushed her down against the table. "Better make it twenty," she said, assaulting Emily's neck.

Emily reached her hands under Paige's shirt. "Why are you wearing so many clothes?"

"Because I wasn't expecting to get lucky at work!" Paige stood up and hurriedly unbuttoned her shirt. "What made you think of coming here tonight?"

"What you told me after my parents' anniversary. You know, the way you used to perv on me in Surber's class?"

Paige shook her head, smiling. "You are," she said, as she grabbed Emily by the shoulders, "the best girlfriend ever." Never in her life had she been happier about being a perv.

"You can erase that footage?" Emily asked, between moans. She felt Paige nod against her skin.

"It's on a six-hour loop," she explained breathlessly. "I'll just 'forget' to turn it off and let it run overnight."

"You're sure?"

"Actually," Paige helped Emily to her feet and led her by the hand to the front desk. Emily was giggling all the way, giddy at the thought that she was doing something so wrong and so risky, strolling half-naked through the stacks of the reserve room. She covered her mouth with her hand whenever Paige looked back back at her, but there was no hiding the fact that she was giggling.

At the master console behind the front desk, Paige turned off all of the cameras, just in case. "Remind me to turn them back on when we leave," Paige whispered.

"Is the door locked?" Paige nodded. "Why are we whispering."

Paige laughed. She didn't know why.

In a few minutes, she would be screaming.

* * *

"Have I told you," Paige crooned between kisses to Emily's neck, "that you're the best girlfriend ever?"

Emily nodded, pushing Paige off of her. "Sorry. My neck..." Emily had been in an uncomfortable position, propped up against the counter. "It's going to be stiff in the morning."

"You should've stretched first," Paige teased. She spun Emily around and began rubbing her shoulders and neck.

"I did!" Emily moaned appreciatively at Paige's massaging fingers.

"I know. I saw you!"

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me - don't forget to turn the cameras back on!"

"Right!" Paige gave Emily a kiss and reached for the console

"Wait! Don't you think we need to get dressed first?"

"Right!" Paige giggled. She gave Emily another kiss. "I love you."

"I love you," Emily echoed, returning the kiss.

Paige started to turn, but stalled for a moment, her heel off the ground but her body still facing Emily. Emily was a little worried by the intensity of Paige's gaze - and by the sudden realization of where they were. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Paige's voice was a raspy whisper. "I'm just looking at you. Sometimes… I can't believe that we're together." Paige couldn't help smiling, her eyes still ranging up and down Emily's anatomy. "How did I get so lucky?"

Emily hugged Paige, taking a moment to savor the warmth of Paige's flesh against her own. How could she say that _she_ was the lucky one without having it come out as perfunctory; just what she was supposed to say after Paige said something like that? But, it was what she felt, so she had to say it. "I must've done something really great, in another life, to deserve you in this one," she said into Paige's ear. She backed away to look her in the eye. "I must've been, like, Mother Theresa, or something."

Paige's body felt warm all over. She wanted to get home and continue the conversation that their bodies had started. "Wait here," she said gently. "I'll go get your clothes."

"And my backpack!" Emily called after her.

"Duh!" Paige said, raising her eyebrows at the obviousness of the statement. She trotted off, pulling her clothes on as she headed to retrieve Emily's.

* * *

The walk home was electric. Paige couldn't believe what Emily had done. Emily couldn't believe what she had done. They both had guilty, knowing smiles on their faces.

"I'm glad," Emily said, slowly and softly as they cuddled later that night, "that you still like me. I mean - not that you like me; do you know what I mean?"

Paige shook her head, trying to figure out what Emily was saying.

Emily exhaled slowly. "I guess I just worry that you'll get tired of me. Or get tired of my body. I mean, we started off so hot, and you've... _had_ me so many times."

Paige touched Emily's shoulder, to get her to turn around. Emily did turn around, but she was reluctant to look at Paige. "Emily." Paige's voice was deep and sincere. "What we had back then was... unbelievable. You know that. But it's not even worth comparing to what we have now." Emily looked up, curling her lip. Paige nodded her head, indicating that she was being sincere. "It's so much better now that we're together in every way, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Paige," Emily said softly. "I feel it, too."

"And here's the thing: We haven't even scratched the surface yet. There's so much I want to know about you; so much I want you to know about me. And I want to know the woman you're becoming - the woman I'll love even more deeply five years from now - or ten. Or fifty.. So, no - I'll never get tired of you, Emily. I'm just going to get more and more hungry for you. For all of you."

Emily lay still for a second, not able to respond to what she had just heard. She touched Paige's face, tickling her fingers down Paige's cheek and neck and kissed her softly. A moment later, she positioned herself on top of Paige, gazing into her eyes as she let Paige feel the weight of her presence. "All of me. It's yours for the taking. I'm all yours."

Paige smiled up at her. "And I'm all yours."


	21. In a Funk

Something was off. Emily couldn't quite put her finger on it. She and Paige weren't fighting. They weren't busy or stressed out or bored. There was just that nagging feeling somewhere inside her that something wasn't quite right.

Emily didn't even know whether - or how - to bring it up with Paige. She didn't want to run the risk of creating a problem by talking about a problem that wasn't really a problem to begin with. But she didn't want to be stuck in that weird place forever.

After dinner on a Wednesday night, she was hanging out with Paige, each studying in the living room, in their neutral corners.

"Hey..." When Paige looked up, Emily continued. "I've been thinking. I haven't seen Spencer in a while. I thought maybe I'd go spend the weekend with her," Emily said with a shrug. "Like, sleep over Friday night?"

Paige nodded half smiling. "Okay."

"Okay." Emily looked back down at her book. "You'll be okay on your own?"

"I'll be okay," Paige assured her. After a moment, she added, "I'll miss you..."

Emily stood up and sat next to Paige, lifting Paige's arm and settling in under it. "I'll miss you, too."

Paige kissed the top of Emily's head. "Is everything okay?" Emily nodded, giving Paige's stomach a rub. "Are _we_ okay?"

"Mm hmm," Emily said, without looking up.

Paige gave her a squeeze. She had a feeling that there was more to the story, but she trusted Emily to let her know, when she was ready.

Emily, for her part, took some comfort in Paige's reaction. Paige didn't question why she needed to spend time with Spencer; she only wanted to confirm that everything was okay between the two of them. And she didn't get all weird about the fact that Emily was leaving. She respected her and was okay with giving her some space.

* * *

Emily started to worry on Friday as she packed up for her upcoming weekend in her old room.

"I did the shopping," she told Paige, "so there's plenty of food in the refrigerator."

"Okay," Paige said appreciatively.

"And I wrote out your menu for this weekend. Tonight, you can pick up Chinese. There's yogurt for breakfast, and you can make yourself a sandwich for lunch."

"Okay."

"You'll have to cook Saturday night, but I left the recipe. It's very easy."

Paige couldn't help smiling. "I think I can handle that."

"You'll call me if you get stuck?" The worry was evident in Emily's tone and on her face.

"I will."

"And even if you don't get stuck?"

Paige took Emily in her arms and gave her a long kiss. "Of course."

"Okay." Emily kissed Paige and laid her hand on Paige's cheek. "You're sure you're okay with me leaving?"

"Go," Paige said, mirroring Emily's hand on her cheek. "You guys have fun. I'll be fine."

Emily smiled weakly and turned to leave. She turned around quickly and said, "Oh, and don't worry about the laundry. I'll just throw it in with mine when I get back on Sunday." Paige didn't say anything. She just smiled. Emily, made nervous by that response, smiled back. "What?"

Paige reached behind Emily's head and pulled her in for a hard kiss. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Emily said softly. "Are you _sure_ you'll be okay?"

"I wouldn't say that I'll be _okay,_ but I think I can manage to survive till Sunday."

Emily gave Paige a weak smile and a strong hug, holding on long enough for one final whiff of Paige's comforting scent before she turned to leave.

* * *

As apprehensive as Emily was about spending time apart from Paige - especially when things were weird between them - she was looking forward to having some time to spend with Spencer. She really missed all of her friends from Rosewood. She really missed high school, where she saw her best friends pretty much every day. She had been able to see Spencer back when they were roommates, but, after Emily moved out, she hardly ever ran into her anymore.

Emily had talked with her three best friends about the weirdness that she was feeling with Paige, and she had high hopes of getting Spencer's perspective on things. But that would have to wait. Friday night was all about reconnecting with her former roommate. They ordered in, parked themselves on the couch, and watched bad sitcoms from the 80s and 90s.

Saturday morning began with brunch at a restaurant off-campus that Spencer had learned about from the field hockey team, and continued with an afternoon of spoiling themselves at a hair and nail salon.

Despite the fact that the weekend was supposed to be about getting Emily some clarity about her relationship with Paige, there was remarkably little conversation on that subject. Paige had called Emily before she went to bed Friday night, and they had exchanged some texts just to keep in touch, and, of course, her name came up as Emily and Spencer exchanged stories about their lives, but the focus of the weekend ended up being Spencer and Emily.

Saturday night, over dinner in their room, their conversation finally wandered around to Emily's relationship. "So, things are weird between you?"

Emily found herself smiling. "Actually, I don't know, Spencer. Maybe it was just all in my mind."

"Are you sure, Em? You're not just avoiding the subject? Sweeping it under the rug?"

"I don't know... I mean, I don't think so. Maybe I just needed some space? Because, thinking about it now, it doesn't feel weird at all. I kind of miss her"

"Yeah, no kidding."

Emily tilted her head with a confused smile. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Spencer said wryly, "that, for the past 12 hours, you've found a way to work Paige's name into every conversation. And that you've been texting her pictures every five minutes of every little thing that we've done today. And checking your phone non-stop and smiling like a goober whenever you get a text from her."

Emily looked down. "I'm sorry, Spencer. I haven't really been good company today, have I?"

Spencer moved closer to Emily, hugging her from the side. "Nonsense, Emily. This whole weekend was about helping you figure out what's up between you and Paige. And I think that you've figured it out..." Spencer let the phrase hang, continuing only when she saw that Emily wasn't picking up the thread. "You've been in this 'Paily' bubble since you moved into Paige's apartment. Which is to be expected. But, somewhere in your brain, you realized that you missed being with your friends, and you had this internal struggle over whether you could be in a relationship with her and still be in a relationship with your friends."

"Uh huh." Emily nodded. She hadn't really been paying too close attention to what Spencer was saying. She was just missing Paige.

Spencer rolled her eyes. "You want to be with her right now, don't you?"

"No, Spence! Of course not! I wanted to spend time with you this weekend."

"And you did. And you will, in future weekends. But, let's face it, you're too distracted to spend any more time with me tonight." Spencer leaned her head in for confirmation.

Emily sighed. Then she broke into laughter, slowly nodding her head. "I guess I am..." She softened her voice. "Would you mind if I...?"

"Go," Spencer slapped her on the back. "Get out of here, you crazy kid!"

Spencer was waiting at the door as Emily emerged from the bedroom with her things. She held her arms out wide for a hug.

"Thanks for everything," Emily said, leaning in for another hug. "I really needed this weekend."

"I did, too." Spencer patted her on the back as she crossed the threshold. "Don't be a stranger!"

* * *

Emily's nerves were firing like crazy as she headed down the hall toward Paige's apartment. She no longer felt weird about their relationship, but she wasn't sure how Paige was feeling. And Paige wasn't expecting her back yet; maybe she wanted a little more time to herself. In a moment of self-doubt, she considered going back to Spencer's. In the end, she convinced herself that she was just being foolish, and put the key in the lock.

Emily poked her head around the door as if she were afraid that she might be interrupting something. She stifled a laugh when she caught sight of Paige, who had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV on, wearing only boxers and a tank top. Her head had dropped onto her chest, and she was sitting with the remote almost falling out of her right hand and her left hand dangling off the side of the couch. Emily snuck over and stood there for a second or two, unable to get the smile off of her face. She considered waking Paige up, but she decided just to slip into bed and wait to surprise her. She hoped that Paige wasn't going to spend all night on the couch.

Paige had gone out drinking with Caleb on Friday night. She spent Saturday morning writing a paper and studying, trying to clear her plate so that she would have time to spend with Emily on Sunday. By Saturday night, she was going crazy. She did everything that she could think of to kill time till Emily's return. She organized the cabinets in the kitchen. And the bathroom. She alphabetized her DVD collection. Then, she reordered the discs by category. She popped in a Zumba DVD that she had never seen before and assumed must've been one that Emily brought over when she moved in. She Zumba-ed along for a few minutes, but she kept getting distracted by thoughts of how Emily must look, getting all sweaty when she did the routines it in her yoga pants. Or her track shorts. And her sports bra. And...

Paige turned off the DVD and took a shower.

She was quite literally counting the hours till Emily's return when she fell asleep on the couch in front of the kind of cheesy romance that she would have been constantly teasing Emily about, if they were watching it together And she wished that they were watching it together. She could almost see the way that Emily, fed up with her snide comments, would turn away from her in a huff, pulling her legs up onto the couch and running her fingers through her hair in frustration, yelling, "just let me pretend that the movie makes sense, okay?"

When Paige woke up and made it to the bedroom, finding familiar waves of raven hair on the pillow, she mumbled, "I must be dreaming."

At the sound of Paige's voice, Emily turned in that direction and sat up in bed, with a spontaneous smile on her face. "Hey you!"

"You're here," Paige whispered, her smile matching Emily's. "When did you get home?"

Emily glanced at the clock. "Not too long ago. Are you happy to see me?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Sure!" Paige looked away.

"Are you sure?"

Paige sighed, smiling shyly. "I wanted to get all sexy for you when you got back."

Emily sat up on her knees and pulled Paige down for a deep, lust-fueled kiss. "You _did,_ Paige," she assured her, "You did."

"How was your weekend with Spencer?" Paige asked as she changed into something more suitable for bed.

"It was good. I... missed you," Emily admitted, softly.

Paige turned around, half out of her bra. "Oh, God, Em - I missed you so much!"

Emily smiled at the statement. It felt good to hear. She walked over to where Paige was standing and gave her a long hug that ended with a kiss on the neck. "But I think..." she looked down "that I'm going to try to spend more time with Spencer." Emily took a quick glance to Paige's eyes, hoping for approval, before she looked at her toes again.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Paige rubbed Emily's shoulder.

Emily kissed her and took her hand, pulling her onto the bed. She explained Spencer's theory, that Emily was afraid of being in their little Paily bubble, and, as a result, of losing touch with her old life and old friends.

"'Paily bubble?'" Paige grinned. "We have a ship name, now?"

"Apparently so!"

Paige slid closer to Emily, resting her head on Emily's chest, with Emily's arm underneath her. Emily kissed the top of her head. "So what else did you guys do?" Paige's voice was husky and inviting. She smiled to herself as Emily described her weekend with Spencer. She was listening, but she wasn't listening. She was far more interested in the sound of Emily's voice, the excitement and animation in Emily's tone, and the steady, hypnotic beating of Emily's heart in her ear.


	22. In Bed

Emily stretched her arm around her sleeping girlfriend. She had awakened moments before, surprised to find that, in their sleep, she and Paige had drifted to opposite edges of the bed. She scooted over quickly to wrap her body around Paige's. Paige woke up under the weight of Emily's arm and moaned softly in contentment. Without opening her eyes, she swiveled her head to give Emily's arm a kiss.

"I like waking up next to you."

Paige rolled over in Emily's arms, so that Emily could see the smile on her face. "I know, right?"

They weren't excited because this was the first time it had happened. They had awakened together countless times. But it was different, now; now that it wasn't something that happened only on weekends or special occasions. Now, it was a regular, everyday occurrence. It felt familiar; appropriate; _right_.

Paige brushed Emily's hair to the side of her face, leaving her fingers buried in it. "So, what's on tap for you today?"

"Oh," Emily said through a yawn. "Not too much. I've got chem lab this afternoon, and I'll probably pick up some groceries after that."

"Okay, well, I'll leave my debit card out."

"I don't know, Paige. I don't think that I should be using your debit card."

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing, I don't really look like a McCullers."

Paige giggled, from the back of her throat. "And what does a McCullers look like?"

Emily crinkled her nose, a little embarrassed that she had said that, now that Paige had called her on it. She pressed on, trying to make light of the situation. "Oh, you know – a redhead with a long beard and a tam o' shanter…"

Paige shook her head. "Really? A tam o' shanter?"

"Emily nodded. "A tam o' shanter. Uh… a plaid kilt, with the…" - she gestured with both hands at her waist – "fanny pack in front…"

"Yes, because that's what it's called..."

"Oh, whatever it's called! And, you know, the long, black socks."

"Yeah?" Emily raised her eyebrows and nodded. "And bagpipes?"

"Oh, Paige. Now, you're just being silly."

"Uh huh. Yeah, well, that's uncanny, Emily. You just described Nick McCullers to a tee!"

"Ha, ha. Anyway, you _know_ what I'm saying. What if they ask me for ID?"

"No one's going to ask you for ID. You just have to put in my PIN. And if anyone _does_ ask for ID, just you know." Paige waved her fingers in front of Emily's face. "bat those eyelids and act helpless."

Emily rolled her eyes and shoved Paige in the shoulder. "I'm not taking your debit card, Paige! I've got money!"

"I know, but you shouldn't have to buy groceries for me."

"For _us,_ Paige. And I don't mind."

"Well, I'd just feel better if you used the card. And, actually, I can get one in your name, too."

"Paige…"

"What?"

"You don't have to take care of me, you know."

"I know, but…" Paige looked away. "Maybe I want to."

Emily rolled her eyes. "That's sweet. But maybe I want to be able to pay my own way."

Paige nodded. "I get that, Em. I do. It just doesn't seem fair, you know? You're still paying for the freshman meal plan through the cafeteria. You shouldn't have to buy our food, too."

"And you should?" Paige shrugged. "Look, if it starts to get unfair, or if I'm running short on cash, I'll tell you. In the meantime, how about when you shop, you pay, and, when I shop, I pay?"

Paige shook her head and sighed, consenting with a begrudging, "Okay."

"Or, actually, I'll just do all the shopping and take your debit card when it's your turn to pay, because I can't live on the frozen pizza and microwave breakfast sandwiches that you seem to think are groceries." Emily shrank behind her forearms, correctly anticipating a blow from Paige's pillow after that comment.

Neither one was in a hurry to get going, so they just lay there, staring at each other, occasionally stroking one another's arms.

"It'll be better next year," Page said after a bit. "You won't have a meal plan, and we can apply the money you would've spent for your room payments towards the rent."

Emily nodded, her smile slightly dim. "I just…" When Emily stopped, Paige leaned in, encouraging her to continue. Emily shook her head. "It's nothing. Forget it."

"What, Emily?" Emily was silent. "You don't think that your parents will agree to letting you get an apartment with me?"

Emily furrowed her eyebrows, shaking her head rapidly back and forth. She was pretty sure that wouldn't be a problem.

"If you have any reservations about next year, you can tell me, Emily. You're not going to hurt my feelings. I know that you love me…"

"No, Paige, I don't have any reservations. It's nothing like that at all. I was just…" Emily sighed heavily. "I just feel a bit bad for Spencer, you know? I mean, this year, it's great for her, because she has the whole room to herself, and it's like her fortress of solitude." Paige smiled at that reference, and Emily shook her head knowingly. She had heard Spencer use that expression to describe her living situation, so she knew that Paige would appreciate it. "But, next year, she's going to have to find someone whom she can actually share a room with and… you know. Spencer's not the easiest person to live with."

"Really? I wouldn't think that she'd have any problem at all finding someone to room with!"

"Of course, you wouldn't think that, Paige, because the two of you are practically the same person!" Paige rolled her eyes. "Look, all I'm saying is – how come you got an apartment by yourself?"

Paige got Emily's point. She hadn't had good experiences with roommates. But she wasn't willing to concede that fact so easily. "Because I was waiting for you to come along?"

"Cute. But you're making my point. I can get along with you, just as I can get along with Spencer. But there aren't a lot of us longsuffering people out there."

Paige smirked. "Well, since she and I are so much alike, I guess it's lucky for me that Spencer's not gay!"

"Actually…"

Paige sat up in shock. "Now you're going to tell me that Spencer's gay?"

"Let's just say, I'm pretty sure that, when it comes to the Kinsey scale, Spencer falls closer to the middle than to either end."

Paige was about to relax back onto the bed, but she sat up again. "Wait – so, does this mean… Did you… Do you guys have a history?"

"No!" Emily dragged out the syllable, emphasizing how ridiculous Paige's question was. "Oh, God, no! Nooooo! That would just be… weird. No!" Emily shook her body at the thought. "And I'm not saying that she's ever even kissed a girl. I just get the impression…" Emily shrugged.

"Hmm." Paige lay down in bed again. She was eager to change the subject. "Anyway, what about if we get a two-bedroom next year? Spencer could take the other bedroom and help with rent?"

Emily opened her mouth wide, inhaling audibly. "Paige, seriously?"

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah…"

Emily gave her a hug. "Paige! That would be great! I'm going to call her!"

"You don't have to call her right now," Paige whined. She was enjoying their lazy morning.

Emily put a finger up and reached across Paige to grab her phone from the nightstand.

"Spencer? … Hey!... Guess what! … Paige and I were talking, and she had the greatest idea! … What would you think about getting a two-bedroom apartment next year, the three of us? … Yeah! … Of course Paige is okay with it…" Emily quirked an eyebrow and looked at Paige. "It was _her_ idea! … No, Spencer, I didn't seduce her!"

Emily groaned, looking at Paige and gesturing towards her phone as if to say, "Can you believe she asked me that?"

"Yeah… yeah, okay… I will. Yeah!" Paige smiled at the excitement on Emily's face. "Okay, I'll see you later. Bye, Spence."

Emily ended the call and stared, content, at Paige for a second before grabbing her around the neck and giving her a hard kiss. "That's from Spencer."

"Spencer sent me a kiss?"

"Well, she told me to thank you, and that's how I thank you."

"Well, you know, if you _really_ want to thank me… How about I collect on that seduction that Spencer asked about?"

Emily rolled her eyes and sat up. "Cool your jets, there. You know I need to get going."

Paige sighed. "I know… Go! Take care of business! I'll be fine," she said with a pout.

* * *

Emily was all smiles when she opened the door. "Hi, Spencer," she said, her voice giddy as her attention shifted between her best friend and her girlfriend. She gave one a hug and the other a kiss. "Well," she said, the excitement still evident in her voice as she made her way to the other side of the door. "I'll leave you guys to it!"

Paige shook her head. Her tone was almost apologetic as she invited Spencer inside.

"I think Emily's more excited about this little playdate than we are!"

"Tell me about it," Paige said, rolling her eyes. "She's been buzzing around the apartment all day. Well, the last couple of days!"

Spencer had come over to talk to Paige about the English department. Spencer was pre-law, and trying to decide between majoring in English and History. Even though she saw herself doing some sort of corporate law, she thought that either of those departments would give her better preparation for critical thinking and communication than a business degree.

Paige had offered to share her perspectives on the department and discuss some of the courses and the faculty. Emily had dubbed their meeting "the playdate," and, although it could hardly have any less to do with "play," the name stuck.

The stakes were higher than merely Emily's desire for Paige to get along with her friends. Now that they were planning to share an apartment, Emily wanted to be sure that Paige and Spencer could get along. They were both… _particular_ about the way that things should be done, and both a little pigheaded when their opinions or world views were challenged.

The playdate turned out to be a stroke of genius. Had Paige and Spencer gotten together just to hang out and watch a movie or something, it would have ended up awkward, as they would wilted under the pressure to get along and make conversation. However, with a defined objective in place, they were free to be themselves. When it came to people they didn't know well, they both did better when they had an agenda and an end-goal.

* * *

"You're good for Emily," Spencer said, smiling as Paige handed her a cup of coffee and joined her on the couch. Their discussion done, they were settling in with some coffee as they waited for Emily to get back. "We used to think of Emily as the weakest link. – Not in a bad way," she interjected before Paige could object. "She was almost _too_ nice, if you know what I mean. And Maya, her ex, used that to steamroll her on a lot of things." Spencer set her coffee cup down on the table and drew her legs up onto the couch, tucking them under. "But you I can tell that you respect her. That makes a big difference."

Paige couldn't help laughing. " _She_ thinks that I'm overprotective."

Spencer smiled. "We all are. Well, Aria, Hanna, Emily and I are all protective of each other, in a way. But I think we all have in the back of our mind that Emily somehow _needs_ to be protected. And she really doesn't."

"Yeah, I know." Paige chuckled. "She made that abundantly clear!"

"See? That's the thing. She called you on it?" Paige nodded. "That's what I'm talking about. I don't know that she would have done that with Maya. She probably would've complained to us that Maya was treating her like a kid, but she feels safe enough with you that she can call you on it."

"I think that's just part of growing up."

"Well, okay, growing up is part of it. But on the other hand, you're helping her grow. I never got that impression with Maya."

Paige shrugged. "You know, she's helped me to grow a lot, too. I got burned pretty badly by my ex, as well. And Emily helped ground me."

"You guys bring out the best in each other."

"Yeah." Paige's voice was barely audible. "So," she said, louder, slapping her hands against the couch cushions to change the energy in the room, "are you ready to jump into this arrangement? Be the third musketeer, as it were?"

Spencer raised her coffee mug for a toast. "All for one…"

"And one for all!"


	23. In a Ritzy Restaurant

"What's this guy's name again? Toby?"

Paige and Emily were jockeying for space in front of the mirror, getting ready for their evening out.

"Yeah - Toby Cavanaugh."

"And he's a rent-a-cop?"

"Yes, Paige, he's a _campus police officer_ ," Emily said with an exasperated sigh, " and please don't use that term tonight."

Everyone referred to the campus police as rent-a-cops, but, as Emily had reminded Paige on numerous occasions, the CPs didn't appreciate the term at all.

"Oh, come on, Em!" Paige waved her hand dismissively. "You know that I wouldn't say that to his face!"

"Maybe not intentionally, but you use that term all the time, and you need to get out of the habit of saying it, or it's going to slip out at the worst possible moment!"

"'Hi, Toby,'" Paige mocked, "'so, I hear you're a rent-a-cop!'" Paige laughed. Emily scowled. "'So, Spencer, how long have you and this rent-a-cop been seeing each other?' 'Once you go rent-a-cop, you just can't stop, eh, Spence?' 'Do you take this rent-a-cop to be your lawfully wedded...'"

"STOP!" Emily smashed the back of her hand against Paige's chest. Paige dropped her hands, still holding her eyebrow pencil, and convulsed in laughter. Emily was still mad, but she started laughing at the way that Paige was laughing. "Yeah, it's funny now, but..."

"I know, I know, I know," Paige said, repentant. "I'm just kidding. Trust me, I would never."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You'd better not. She really likes him."

"And they met on a lock-out? That's kind of creepy..."

"No!" Emily smacked Paige's shoulder. "It was _cute!_ And romantic! Spencer forgot her key..."

Paige shook her head with a smile. She'd heard the story before, but she loved how enthusiastic Emily got whenever she told it.

"And she was freaking out because she's Spencer Hastings, and Spencer Hastings does _not_ forget her key, and, plus, she was losing valuable study time."

"And Toby came in riding on a white horse..."

"Hey! I'm telling it!" Emily nudged Paige with her elbow, with a good-natured smile.

"And he just hung around her room? As I said... kind of creepy!" Paige was intentionally pushing Emily's buttons.

"No, Paige! It was romantic! He said, 'Well, let me take a look around, to make sure everything's safe."

"And she let him in..."

"She let him in... And he saw the Scrabble board, and he said they should play some time, and she said 'When's your break,' and they started playing, and the rest is history!"

"Yeah, yeah," Paige said, her tone intentionally dismissive, to mess with Emily. She pointed at her shoes, and Emily nodded, to indicate that they were okay. "Do you think Spencer and Toby are talking about that romantic night when you picked me up in the club?"

"Hey!" Emily's tone was sharp, but her smile was unmistakable. " _You_ picked _me_ up! Even if I had to seduce you to make you do it!" Paige wiggled her eyebrows, relishing the memory of that night. "Was I too forward?" Emily rested an arm on Paige's shoulder to support herself as she put her shoes on.

"Too forward? Of course not! Who's going to complain when the hottest girl in the place comes over and flirts?"

Emily cupped Paige's cheek and gave her a kiss. "I was the hottest girl in the place?"

"Emily," Paige wrapped her arms around Emily's back and gazed into her eyes. Her voice was soft and deep. "I don't even have the words."

Emily hugged Paige, planting her head on Paige's shoulder for a while before she disengaged with a sigh. "We'd better get going, I guess."

"Yeah. Better not keep Spencer and Officer Rent-a-Cop waiting!"

* * *

Emily had a nervous excitement about her as they waited in front of the apartment building for Spencer's car. Instead of holding Paige's hand, as she usually did, she had a tight grip on Paige's bicep. Her foot was tapping uncontrollably. Her head was on Paige's shoulder, and she raised it from time to time to comment, in brief, rapid sentences, about nothing in particular. This was the first couples' date for Emily and Paige, and she was excited to show off their relationship.

When Toby pulled up, Emily squeezed Paige's shoulder to thank her for holding the door open. Paige was about to close the door and walk around to the other side, but Emily scooted over to the seat behind Spencer, pulling Paige in by the hand.

Spencer turned toward the back seat. "Paige McCulllers, Emily Fields," she said, gesturing at them with her hand, "this is Toby." She stretched both palms in Toby's direction, adding, with a touch of humor, "Officer Cavanaugh."

Toby turned and shook each girl's hand, nodding and saying their names as he did. There was an air of confidence about him, but it was under the surface, in a self-effacing way. It was the quiet, unassuming confidence of a man who had nothing to prove. Paige found something admirable in that. He was the guy in the gym who quietly out-lifted his peers, without the over-the-top grunts as he dropped a particularly heavy barbell at the end of a set, or the constant posing in front of the mirror.

Toby turned back toward the windshield and put the car in gear. Spencer was fully twisted around in her seat, her hands on the headrest, smiling at Emily in hopes of reading her friend's approval. Emily raised her eyebrows and squeezed Spencer's hand, looking over to Paige, who gave a low-key but sincere thumbs up.

* * *

Emily had been right when she advised Paige to dress up. She knew Spencer, and the kind of restaurant that she would choose. Paige was grateful for the advice when she saw what the place was like. Still, she fidgeted in her outfit all evening long. Dressing up wasn't her favorite thing.

As they waited for the host to take then to their table, Emily pulled Paige aside. "Don't try to pick up the check tonight, okay?"

Paige had a habit of paying for everything. It made sense, from her perspective. She had picked up some scholarships and grants, and she did some freelance writing about college for the township's weekly magazine, so she could afford it. Emily appreciated it, despite her initial feelings of guilt, but she knew that Spencer wouldn't go for it at all.

After they settled in around their table and placed their orders, Paige looked up at Spencer and Toby and asked how they met. Emily was puzzled by the question, but Paige shrugged it off. She knew the story, but she enjoyed hearing couples tell the tale from their perspective.

Spencer and Toby were excited to share it. They were very animated, telling the story together, smiling at each other and completing each other's sentences. The storytelling ended with a kiss. Spencer, still smiling, told Paige and Emily, "Don't let him fool you. This guy's a killer at Scrabble."

"I can hold my own, I guess," Toby said with a shrug. "Not bad, for a rent-a-cop."

"Now, see? I get in trouble if I say, 'rent-a-cop!' Ow!" Paige rubbed her shin, where Emily had kicked her under the table. "See what I'm talking about?"

Toby waved it off and asked, innocently, about Paige and Emily's story.

Emily looked at Paige, unsure how to tell it. "Uhh... we met in math class?" Emily said brightly, nodding at Paige for confirmation.

Paige nodded back. "Yeah. But then, I saw her at a club one time, and it was just like - Wow! She just looked so mature and sophisticated. I mean, she looked always gorgeous in math class - of course..." Paige gestured toward Emily, illustrating how obvious her point was. "But, when I saw her that night, I knew I had to get to know her." _In the biblical sense_ \- but she left out that part of the story. _  
_

"Aw!" Emily leaned over and gave Paige a kiss, mouthing, "I love you." It meant a lot to hear Paige speak of her as a sophisticated adult. She still had occasional bouts of insecurity where she felt that she was only pretending to be mature, and that Paige could secretly see through her act.

* * *

Paige kept feeling Toby's eyes landing on her all through dinner. She ignored it until the point of embarrassment, but, in the end, she looked at him with a questioning smile.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning over the table, "but have we met before?"

Paige looked at Emily. Emily tilted her head, wondering why Paige would have had a run in with the campus police. A few scenarios ran through her mind - a complaint from a disgruntled hook-up whom she had prematurely sent packing; an instance of ransacking a professor's office when Emily wasn't there to stop her; a noise complaint from her neighbors when she was getting freaky late into the night?

Paige looked back at Toby, but before she could reply, he continued. "It's just," he said as he set down his fork, folded his hands across his waist, and leaned back in his chair, "I never forget a face. And yours is awfully familiar."

"I don't think so?" Paige's voice was hesitant, and she took long pauses between words.

Spencer was intrigued by this turn in the conversation. She had made her peace with Paige, and she knew that Paige was good for Emily, but there was still a part of her that wanted some dirt on Paige McCullers. It wasn't that she wanted Emily to break up with her. She truly wanted Emily to be happy. She just wanted her instincts to be vindicated.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Toby said, looking at Spencer as though he knew where her mind was going. "I'm not saying that you were ever in trouble with the campus police. If it were something like that, where we had to remove you from a building or hand you over to the township police, I would remember immediately, because things like that are so rare on campus. It was probably something like you lost your ID, or" - he pointed his chin toward Spencer - "you got locked out of your apartment?"

Paige looked at Emily again, who shrugged her shoulders, unable to help.

"Oh!" Toby straightened in his chair and slammed his hands on the table, pointing a bony finger at Paige. He backtracked immediately, taking a quick, guilty look at the tables around them. His outburst wasn't very loud at all, but it seemed out of place for the class of restaurant that they were in. He gave me Spencer a sheepish smile and mouthed the word, "oops!" She rubbed his shoulder, shaking her head and smiling at the cuteness of his puppy-dog act of contrition.

Toby leaned low over the table, his voice now unnecessarily soft. "Nick McCullers!"

Paige sat back against her chair and rolled her eyes. "Oh, God. What did my Dad do this time?"

"He..." Toby had a hard time getting the story out between his fits of laughter. "He... sent this letter on official stationery to the head of campus security..." Toby lowered his voice and made his face stern, the way that he imagined a cranky Nick McCullers would look. "'My daughter is the most valuable entity at that school! If you let anyone bully her the way they did at her high school, I'll have your asses in court so fast...'"

Paige, meanwhile, put her elbows on the tables and rubbed her temples, repeating, "Oh, God."

"He sent her picture?" Spencer still didn't know why Paige's face was familiar. Toby shook his head. "No. We all got on her facebook, trying to find a picture of her dad!"

"Yeah, good luck with that," Paige muttered to herself.

"We had bets about how batshit crazy he was - oh! Sorry, Paige. No offense."

Paige flattened her lips and shook her head, waving off Toby's apology.

Meanwhile, Emily had gotten stuck on one word. She touched Paige's wrist. "You were bullied in high school?"

"Ugh!" Paige let out a deep breath. She looked at Emily, obviously exasperated. "No!" Paige let the word hang for a second or two. "No. There was just some innocent teasing - the kind everyone deals with. Kids being kids. It's just - my Dad - he..." Paige was boiling over. Emily leaned closer and rubbed her back. "My Dad just... Ungh! He just has to have his own narrative about everything." Paige was staring off into space, punctuating her words with karate chops through the air. "He has to have this world where he's the man. He's the knight in shining armor. He's the perfect dad, taking care of his..." Paige let out a huge breath. She couldn't even finish.

Emily leaned over with a kiss to Paige's cheek. She was still rubbing her back. She had never seen Paige get upset like that. "It's okay, Paige."

Paige leaned her head back and gripped her hair. She stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds before she could look at Emily again. "I'm okay," she tried to convince her.

Toby leaned over the table to apologize to Paige, giving Spencer an apologetic look for the way that he had caused the mood at the table to swing.

* * *

Later, when Paige and Toby went up to the bar to get some drinks, Spencer leaned over the table, whispering as if Paige were still within earshot. "Hey..." Emily, who had been looking at the people around them and their dishes, focused on Spencer. "This explains a lot. You know. Daddy issues."

"Spencer..."

"No. You know what I mean. Women who are promiscuous often have problems with their fathers. So they seek attention and approval from other men. _Lots_ of men."

"Sp..."

"Well, in Paige's case, lots of women. That's an interesting angle. I wonder what Freud had to say about lesbian daddy issues."

Emily had to let theory sink in before she could respond to Spencer, because, it was true: Paige had issues with her father, and she slept around a lot before she and Emily got together. "Spencer, look. I'm not concerned about this. Paige isn't like that anymore. And, if she has any issues with her dad, she's not looking to work them out in someone else's bed. She works them out with me. _Talking_ with me," Emily added quickly, worried about how her original statement sounded.

"Oh, no, hey, Em!" Spencer reached across the table to take Emily's hand. "I didn't mean it like that! I was just saying that it's interesting from a psychiatric perspective."

Spencer's eyes looked up in a bit of a panic, and she slid away from Emily as Paige and Toby entered her line of sight. Paige slid next to Emily and asked, with a worried half-smile, "Why do I get the feeling that I was being talked about?"

Emily rubbed her girlfriend's shoulder. "We're just concerned about you, that's all."

Paige nodded, fully trusting Emily.

* * *

Emily was quiet on the ride home. Paige kept checking on her, to make sure that she was all right. Emily smiled weakly, to indicate that everything was okay. In reality, she was deep in thought, perplexed by what Spencer had said. She knew that Spencer had a point about "daddy issues." Her mind went back to the night when Paige called herself unworthy of being loved. But Emily didn't see that attitude in Paige anymore. Maybe Paige was just keeping those insecurities buried. Or maybe Emily had cured her. Emily knew that it was a ridiculous thought. She wished that Spencer had never brought up the subject.

Emily knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid being weird around Paige until she talked to her about it. Later that night, when they were getting ready for bed, Emily asked her, "Paige, have you ever talked to anyone about your dad?"

Paige sighed, but she didn't seem perturbed. "You mean, a professional?"

Emily shook her head. "No, not necessarily. Just... anyone."

Paige shrugged. "I mean, other than Terri and you, it's not as if there were ever a lot of people around whom I could talk to."

"I'm sorry," Emily said, squeezing Paige's arm.

"Don't be. I'm okay."

"No, I mean, I'm sorry that - all that time you were talking with me, we were always talking _about_ me. I never really took the time to listen to your issues."

Paige smiled, holding Emily. "Emily, that's not true. And don't discount the effect that you had on my life back then. I mean, if it hadn't been for you, I'd still be living that life, trying to fill my life with sex, because I didn't think that I could be loved." Paige looked deep into Emily's eyes and spoke softly. "You saved me, Emily."

Emily smiled and gave Paige a kiss and pulled her down onto the bed. She didn't feel like arguing the point. She only wanted to make sure that Paige knew just how loved she was.


	24. Intimidation

Emily kept an eye on the woman sitting in a booth closest to the exit as she wiped down the counter at The Brew. She had been feeling the girl's eyes on her throughout her shift. The girl wasn't being subtle about it all. Her jaw was rigid and her eyes deep-set. She had the look of an assassin, and it looked as if she had Emily in her sights.

"You okay?"

Emily, startled, let out a gasp at Sabrina's words, clutching her chest. She smiled, embarrassed, at her reaction and turned to her supervisor. "I'm okay," she assured her.

"Is something going on?" Sabrina leaned her head in the direction of the girl in the booth.

"Have you seen her in here before?"

"I think so. A couple of times."

"I don't know," Emily said. "I must've offended her or something. Maybe I messed up her order."

Sabrina shrugged. "Maybe she's just having a bad day," she said, touching Emily's shoulder. "I'm going to get back to the inventory. Call me if you need me."

Emily gave her a weak smile and nodded. She decided to trust that Sabrina was right; that the customer's disposition had nothing to do with her. Still, wanting to face the issue head on, she headed off in the direction of the booth, straightening the items on a couple of the tables in the vicinity before she worked up the nerve to work her way over to the girl in her booth. "Can I get you anything?" she asked, smiling pleasantly. "How about a refill."

The girl just scowled.

"Well, if you need anything..." Emily's voice had grown shaky. She stepped away, stumbling as she headed back to the counter, and looked down to see that she had tripped over the girl's feet. When she looked up to offer an apology, she saw from the look in the girl's face that it hadn't been an accident.

The girl got up and, with a menacing glare, growled at Emily, "I know who you are. And whatever you think it is that you've got going on with Paige, there were dozens of women before you, and there will be dozens after you."

Before Emily could fully process the statement, the girl had spun around, smashed open the front door, and walked away.

Emily hurried back into the kitchen, leaned against the wall, bending over at the waist with her face in her hands, crying softly. Sabrina rushed over to find out what was going on. She put her hand on Emily's shoulder, bending down to look into Emily's eyes. Emily would only say that it was nothing.

"Was it that girl?"

"No, no - I'm fine. It was nothing, really."

"Emily, tell me what happened. We can have her barred..."

Emily collected herself. "No. It's nothing like that. It was a personal matter. I'll be fine." She gave Sabrina a weak smile. Sabrina wanted to send her home early, but Emily insisted that it wasn't necessary. She only asked Sabrina to let her take her break right away, so that she could pull herself together.

Emily picked up her phone, rolling it over and over in her hands. She needed to talk to Paige, but she couldn't. She didn't want to overreact. _It was nothing_ , she kept telling herself. _It's over_.

When she got back from her break, she was able to compose herself enough to finish out her shift. Her hands were still a little bit shaky, and, fortunately, Sabrina asked her to move from counter service and take over on inventory and ordering in the back office. At least, that way, Emily wouldn't have to deal with hot beverages in her shaky hands.

Emily had largely been able to put the incident behind her by the time she clocked out. Still, Sabrina recommended that she call her girlfriend to walk her home. Emily declined politely, insisting that she would be okay. Emily never did get around to talking to Paige or texting her anything about the incident. She knew that Paige was on-call in the tutoring program program that night, and she didn't want her to worry.

* * *

"Emily?" Paige called out as she entered the apartment and tossed her keys onto the counter. She didn't get a response, but she saw Emily's jacket on one of the hooks by the door. She called her name again, a bit more softly, not wanting to wake her girlfriend, if she were sleeping.

When Paige got to the bedroom, Emily, who had been lying on the bed with her back to the door, sprang to her feet, running into Paige's arms and holding on as tight as she could. That's when the tears started again.

"Emily? What happened?"

Emily shook her head against Paige's shoulder. "N... nothing," Emily said between sobs. Emily was worried that Paige would go off and do something stupid.

Paige put her hands on Emily's arms, stepping away from her and staring hard into her eyes. "Emily," she said firmly. "What happened?"

Emily fell down into a sitting position on the bed. Paige sat next to her, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. Emily pushed her hair out of her face and wiped her eyes against her sleeve. She tried her best to put a brave face on as she repeated her mantra. "Nothing. It was nothing." Emily looked at Paige with a weak smile, but Paige was having none of it. "Some... customer," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "She said something. Just... something stupid."

Paige, looking sideways at Emily, asked, "What did she say?" Her voice was deep and the words came out slowly. It was obvious that she was trying to stay calm. And that she wasn't succeeding.

Emily sighed in frustration. She didn't want to have to hear the words again. "Just - nothing, okay? Something stupid about you and me." The words replayed in Emily's head, and they spilled out of her mouth in a mocking tone. "There we're dozens before you, and there will be dozens after you."

Paige jumped to her feet, pinching the bridge of her nose as she paced in tight lines back and forth alongside the bed. "Who was it?" she asked angrily.

"I don't know."

"What did she look like?"

"I don't know, Paige! God - could you just stop trying to fix everything for once and just hold me?"

Paige softened immediately. She sat down on the bed and pulled Emily in. "Are you okay?"

Emily nodded, letting out a fresh volley of tears. Paige kept holding her, rubbing her back gently and whispering assurances that she was right there, and that Emily was safe.

* * *

Paige wanted to walk Emily to and from work, and sit at The Brew for the duration of her shift, but Emily refused. She knew how that would look, if the girl did come back. And she was worried that Paige would end up doing something that they would all regret.

Emily was on edge for her next two shifts, worried every time the little bell over the door jingled. It was only after a week that the girl reappeared. Sabrina recognized her and asked whether Emily wanted her to tell the girl to leave. Emily shook her head. "We worked it out," she lied.

"Okay, well, I'm going to stay close. Just in case."

Emily knew that she couldn't convince Sabrina to let her guard down, so she just smiled and thanked her. But as soon as Sabrina went back to the kitchen, Emily walked over to the girl.

Emily had a disarming smile on her face as she spoke. "I just want to let you know that you don't need to worry. Paige and I are solid. I don't know what happened between the two of you, to make you such a bitter little crone, but let me make this easy on you. Whether Paige and I are together for another week, another year, or another century, it's none of your concern, and, if you stick your nose in again, it's liable to end up broken, okay? Have a nice day." Emily's stare turned intense as her smile morphed into a scowl.

The girl rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

Emily walked straight back to the kitchen, bracing herself against the wall and taking deep breaths as she waited for her adrenaline levels to return to normal. She had said what she wanted to say. She hoped that it was the end of the matter, but she wasn't going to get caught off guard again or back down, if the girl decided to push it.

Emily never said anything further to Paige, and, gradually, the incident faded from their thoughts. Emily never saw the girl at work after that confrontation. Sabrina mentioned that she still saw the girl from time to time, but she said that the girl never lingered, preferring just to grab her coffee and go.

* * *

"Uh oh." Paige tightened the grip on Emily's hand and tugged her off of the path down which they were walking. "Let's head this way."

"Paige? What's up?"

"Nothing. Just one of the more clingy girls I used to fool around with." Paige looked, panicked, at Emily. "Way back," she clarified. "Freshman year."

Emily laughed gently, wrapping both hands around Paige's hand and dragging her back onto the walkway. "Come on, Paige. You can't run from your past forever. Time to be a grown up and start facing them head-on."

Paige chuckled weakly as she let Emily pull her back in the direction in which they had been heading. The woman in question saw Paige - and Emily - but she didn't change her course to avoid them. As they passed each other, Paige tipped her chin up. "Shana."

"Paige."

It was as simple as that. The girl didn't stop to talk, and Paige didn't offer to introduce Emily.

Once some distance had accumulated between them, Emily spoke up. "So that's Shana?"

"That's Shana," Paige confirmed. Emily had heard more than one story about Paige's psycho ex-bedmate. Paige let out another nervous chuckle. "You know, when you told me about that girl who confronted you in The Brew a few weeks ago, I kind of thought that it was Shana."

Emily smiled knowingly, not looking at Paige, lest Paige see the expression. "It was, she admitted, with a squeeze of Paige's hand.

Paige stopped in her tracks, and Emily, who had kept walking, was pulled into an abrupt stop. She tugged on Paige's hand. "Paige... let it go. I already took care of it!"

Paige smiled wryly. "Oh, you did, did you?"

Emily nodded impatiently. "I can be pretty tough, when I want to be."

Paige stood right in front of her. Somehow, that thought was turning her on. "Oh, really?" she asked, her voice soft and husky. "I bet you can!"

"Yeah." Emily's voice was a murmur, and she grabbed Paige by the collar, pulling her in even closer "So you'd better treat me right!"

"Always," Paige smirked, leaning in for the kiss.


	25. IN a Playful Mood

"Holy Shit!"

Paige gasped, her body tensing up, as she woke up to a figure less than an inch away from her face. She relaxed against her pillow when she came to and realized that it was only Emily.

Emily was on all fours, her body astride Paige's, and her smiling face almost touching Paige's confused one.

"How long have you been watching me sleep?"

"Too long!" Emily was almost shouting in her excitement. She started bouncing up and down against the mattress. "Come play with me, Paige!"

It was an offer that Paige couldn't refuse, even though they had spent the entire night before playing together. It was a Saturday morning; the semester was winding down; Why not?

Paige tried to get up, but Emily pushed her back down against the mattress. _So, that's the way you want to play? Paige_ struggled with her for dominance for a few minutes, getting all hot and bothered, until she broke. She couldn't take any more of the light foreplay, so she decided to kick things in gear. She knew the spot on Emily's shoulder; one well-timed kiss just as her roaming fingers made it into position on the border and...

"Hey! No fair," Emily moaned, her fist so tight in Paige's hair that Paige was worried she would end up with a bald spot.

"All's fair in love and war!"

"Oh, God! That's what I need right now, McCullers - a tired old cliché to keep me in the moment..." Emily bit her lip as her hips tensed, thrusting up and into Paige's fingers. "Maybe you should put that tongue to better use," she managed to squeak.

Paige's lips curled into a smirk before they slowly, torturously, kissed their way down Emily's body, down where Emily needed them.

* * *

"What's so funny?"

Emily was lying on top of Paige with her hands on Paige's chest and her chin resting on her intertwined fingers, enjoying the soothing feeling of Paige's fingers as they combed through her hair.

"I was just thinking about our first time together, way back in first semester," Paige said, unable to stop smiling. "That weekend I spent at your place?"

Emily lifted her head from Paige's chest. "That's what's so funny?"

"No..." Paige drew the word out playfully. "Not funny... I... I just didn't know what hit me. You totally threw me for a loop."

"Yeah?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. My mind kept telling me, 'It's a trap! Get the fuck out!' but..."

Emily hid her eyes behind her fingers. "I came on too strong?"

Paige shook her head, still smiling at the memory. "No. You were just..."

Emily bit her lip. "Oh, God! I was so stupid!"

Paige moved Emily's hands away from her face. "Emily, you were...Amazing." (kiss) "Unbelievable." (kiss) "Sexy." (kiss) "Who could possibly walk away from you?"

Emily sighed, remembering the way that their series of hook-ups came to an abrupt end. " _You_ did."

"I was just scared."

Emily sat up, straddling Paige's hips, and started to put her hair up, not failing to notice how Paige's eyes worked their way up her torso, taking in the sight. Paige stroked Emily's side, from under her upraised arms down to her hips. It sent a tingle through Emily, and her thighs contracted around Paige.

"Do you miss those days?"

Paige took a deep breath. "I mean, those days were incredible, Em, but... it's so much better now, don't you think?"

Emily leaned down and gave Paige a kiss. "So much better."

"At first, it was this hot, unbridled lust, and then, we were both kind of, like, doing this dance where we were _together_ but we weren't _together_ ; we could talk on the phone all night long - like, we were connecting every way _except_ physically. And, now... Now, I feel like Hanna Montana."

Emily looked puzzled, not knowing where Paige was heading with that statement, until Paige sang out, "I get the best of both worlds!"

Emily laughed, then pushed Paige down by the shoulders to give her another kiss.

"I mean," Paige continued, "I get to make hot monkey love with this totally hot babe, - and, bonus! It turns out she's my soul mate, too!"

Emily's next kiss was deeper; more soulful. She let her hand start to explore the length of Paige's increasingly warm body. "Oh!" she said, with a giggle of surprise when her fingers ended up wet. "I guess you're ready for me again?"

Paige smiled shyly, and Emily moved the kisses to her cheek, jaw, and neck, working her hips against Paige's stomach as her fingers began a steady rhythm, in and out.

* * *

The next time Paige woke up, she was in a much more familiar position. Emily's arm was wrapped tight around her, and she could feel the breaths from Emily's gentle exhales tickling against her shoulder. She thought that she could stay there forever.

Her stomach thought otherwise.

"Hey," she said, squeezing Emily's hand, without turning around.

"Hnnngh," Emily muttered into her back.

"Are you hungry?"

Emily nodded. Her eyes were still closed.

"Let's go get some breakfast."

"What time is it?"

Paige sat up and reached over Emily to get her phone. "Whoops!" she said when she saw what time it was. "Let's go get some lunch?"

"We slept through breakfast?" Emily's sleepy voice asked. Her eyes were still closed, and her forehead was furrowed in confusion.

"No, we _fucked_ through breakfast. We slept through _lunch_."

Emily sat up in a panic. "We slept through lunch? I was supposed to meet my advisor over lunch!"

Paige laughed.

"It's not funny, Paige! I'm in big trouble!"

"It actually _is_ pretty funny, Em! Today's Saturday. You met your advisor yesterday, remember?"

"Huh? Oh. Yeah." Emily fluffed up her pillow and lay back down, with an adorable scowl. "Then why are you waking me?"

"Because I'm starv..." Paige smiled, looking at her sleepy girlfriend. Emily looked positively angelic when she slept. Paige kissed her on the forehead. "You know what? Never mind. Go back to sleep. I'll go pick us up something."

As Paige moved to get up, Emily's hand reached to find her. It latched onto an arm and used it to pull Paige back onto the bed. Her eyes still closed, she puckered her lips for a kiss. "You're good to me," she said, and rolled over, pulling the sheet on top of herself.

* * *

When Paige got back, Emily had gotten up and showered. She wasn't really dressed; she just threw on the short silk robe that she often wore when she was on the prowl. She chose it because it would give Paige something to stare at; something to ensure that her motivation didn't fade during lunch.

She greeted Paige at the door with a kiss. "Something smells good!" Taking the grease-stained paper bags out of Paige's hands, she asked, "Del Rossi's?" Paige nodded, smiling. "God, Paige, are you trying to kill me?" As much as she loved the greasy burgers and salty fries, she hadn't been hitting the pool or the gym as much as she should have since she she moved in with Paige. Although, to be fair, she was still getting regular workouts - and two-a-days on weekends. Sometimes, three- or even four-a-days, on a good weekend.

And then it hit her. _Del Rossi's... comfort food..._ "Wait... Paige... Are you trying to tell me something?" Gesturing in the direction of Paige's zipper, she asked, "Are you closing for business down there?" She pulled her robe a bit more closed and tightened the sash.

"No..." Paige drew out the word and rolled her eyes as she took the bag back from Emily. "You don't have my cycle timed out yet?"

Emily scoffed. "Please. I'm just waiting for you to sync up with mine!"

"Well, first of all, that's just a myth, and, second, _you're_ the one who would sync up with _mine_!"

"Yeah. Well, we'll see about that."

"So?"

"What?"

"So, open your robe back up!" Paige waved her hands at the garment. "Come on - I went out and got lunch! At least give me something, woman!"

Emily swatted Paige away as she tried to take matters into her own hands. "Chill, horn dog! I don't want the food to get cold 'cause you can't keep your hands to yourself!"

* * *

They had lunch on the couch, watching Netflix. When they finished eating, Emily stretched out on the couch, reclining against Paige. Paige's hands were idly exploring the smoothness of Emily's thighs, and Emily moaned, softly and occasionally, at the feeling.

Emily leaned her head back and kissed Paige on the bottom of her chin. "Why can't every day be like this?"

"I know, right?"

"Love you," Emily declared, her head still tilted back.

Paige squeezed her arms around Emily. "I love you, too."

When the movie ended, Emily sprang to her feet, extending her hands to help Paige off of the couch. "Come on," she urged, jogging in place, "you have to help me work off all those calories that you loaded me up with."

Paige reached inside Emily's robe and pulled her close, peppering her neck with kisses. Her hands were soft and warm against Emily's waist. "Finally!" She didn't mean to say it out loud.

"Paige!"

"Yeah?"

"Not like _that_! Get dressed! You're going for a run with me!"

"Emily!"

"What?"

"You're killing me, here." Paige's voice was low and husky, and punctuated with kisses to Emily's neck and chest. "First, you made me wait for lunch," she whined, "then you made me wait till the end of the movie, and now you're going to make me go for a run?"

"Um, hello! You're the one who pumped me full of all those carbs for lunch!"

_I'll pump you full of... something else._ Fortunately for her, Paige managed to keep that thought to herself.

"And, besides, it's not as if you didn't get any all last night. And all this morning!"

"Are you seriously telling me," Paige could feel Emily's knees start to buckle, "that you would rather pound the pavement than pound the mattress? You know, work off those calories horizontally?"

Emily jumped into Paige's arms, locking her ankles behind Paige's back. "Go!" she commanded, "but you'd better give me one hell of a workout!"

* * *

"Are we normal?" Emily, lying in Paige's embrace, with her head on Paige's chest, sighed deeply.

"What do you mean?"

"We have sex all the time!"

Paige giggled inaudibly, but Emily could feel it in her body.

"Paige!" Emily turned away from Paige, lying on her back.

"Normal's overrated," Paige shrugged.

"I'm serious!" Emily got up on one elbow, looking down at Paige. "Who even lives like this?" She gestured with her hand, stroking it through her hair at the end of the question. "It's like bad fiction! Bad _fan_ fiction, written by some horny teenager!"

"We're normal," Paige said reassuringly. "We're just in, you know, that honeymoon phase of our relationship."

Emily sighed. "And how long does that last?"

Paige scrunched her lips. "A good thirty, forty years..."

Emily rolled her eyes. "So, you're saying that, after forty years, you're not going to want this anymore?" she asked, pointing to her body.

"No, I'm saying, at the rate we're going, I'll probably blow out my hip by then, and we'll have to dial it back a little."

"Oh, stop!"

Paige kissed the palm of Emily's hand. "We'll slow down once we have kids, though... I mean, _if_ we have kids. If you even _want_ to have kids. With me. I mean, not _with_ me - together with me." Paige was getting increasingly flustered as she tried to backtrack.

Emily laughed at Paige's adorable nervousness. "Paige... We already had this discussion, remember?"

"I remember," Paige said softly. "I just..."

"Just what?"

"Emily, you could be with any girl you want. I just..."

Emily put her finger on Paige's lips to silence her. "I _am_ with the girl I want, Paige. I'm not looking for anything else. Why would I?" Emily moved her finger from Paige's lips, placing a quick kiss in its place. "You said it yourself: We're soulmates."


	26. Internship

"Good morning," Paige chirped as she sat at the breakfast table sipping coffee, one leg crossed over the other. She watched as Emily stumbled into the kitchen, her eyes still half closed and her bed head in full bloom, navigating the space as if guided solely by the smell of coffee. "Rough night?"

Emily gave a glare. "And don't you dare make a comment about how cute I look when I'm half asleep."

Paige put her hands up and laughed. "No need to worry about that!" Emily diverted from her coffee quest and hip-checked Paige, almost knocking her out of the chair. "Just kidding!" Paige protested. "You're cute! You're cute!"

"Damned right, I am!" Emily scratched her butt and tugged at a wedgie. _Still cute,_ Paige thought.

"So, why were you up so late?" Paige asked, after Emily had settled into a seat and the caffeine began to kick in.

"Because," Emily said with mock-annoyance, "I'm not an English major, with nothing to do except journal about my feelings and hang around in coffee shops until someone hands me a diploma. I actually have to take real classes with real problem sets and do real projects, with real deadlines!"

"Hey!" Paige said sharply. "Don't hate me because of _your_ poor life-choices!"

"Yeah, well, when I'm rolling in cash from my sports-therapy practice and you're up all night filling out grant requests to beg for money from taxpayers like me to subsidize your "career," we'll see who's life-choices are poor," Emily grumbled. "Emphasis on the word, 'poor.'"

Paige laughed in the back of her throat as she replied. "Okay, well, speaking of _grants_... I've got some good news. Although you might not think so."

"You've decided to ditch that internship with the paper and come spend the summer hanging out with me in Rosewood?" Emily said through a yawn.

"No! - Why would I say you might not think that's good news?"

"Oh, just let me dream that you're coming to Rosewood, Paige! I'm still half asleep, anyway!"

Paige took Emily's hand, biting her lip to keep herself from commenting on how cute she was when she was out of it like that. "Okay, well, you're half right. I'm thinking of passing on that internship, because... I just got an offer from the El Paso Journal!"

"El Paso," Emily droned. "That's where my Dad is." All of a sudden, she was wide awake. "Wait! Paige! El Paso?"

"Well, yeah." Paige picked up on Emily's enthusiasm. "When you said you might want to spend some of the summer with your dad..."

Emily walked over to Paige and gave her a hug and kiss. "Paige! That's perfect! I could spend the first part of the summer with my. Dad..."

"And me..."

"And you..."

"And I can still spend a couple of weeks in Rosewood at the end of the summer."

Emily gave Paige another kiss. "Why did you think I might not think it was good news?"

Paige shrugged. "I wasn't sure that you were serious about going out to spend some time with your dad."

* * *

Emily made arrangements with her parents and her old boss in Rosewood, who was holding a summer position for her. She would drive out to Texas with Paige, spending the first part of the summer there before flying home for the remainder. Her father called in some favors on the base to get her a desk job for the time that she would be there, filling in for administrative assistants when they went on vacation.

Emily and Paige decided to take a weekend to drive back to Rosewood in separate cars, so that they could drop off Emily's car. That way, she would be able to get around in Rosewood when she was home for the summer.

When they arrived in Rosewood, Pam greeted Paige with a tight hug. It was surprising - and surprisingly good - to be hugged like that. It felt like family; or, at least, the way that Paige imagined that family should feel.

Pam knew that Emily had moved into Paige's apartment at college, but they weren't foolhardy enough to ask about sharing a bedroom during their weekend in Rosewood. Not in Pam's house. But, Pam was willing to give the couple a bit of space.

On Friday night, they ate Chinese take-out in front of the TV, watching episodes "Fame" - a cheesy, 80s, musical-drama that Pam took very seriously - on DVD. "It reminds her of her youth," Emily explained to Paige, warning her not to make fun of the show the way that she always made fun of the cheesy shows that Emily watched.

Pam was nestled into the recliner. Emily and Paige had the couch. After they finished eating, Emily ended up lying down with her head and hands in Paige's lap, as Paige enjoyed the feeling of Emily's hair between her fingers. Seeing them together there, Pam yawned and stretched, having suddenly become very tired. She excused herself to go upstairs and read, advising them not to stay up too late. It was a mother's reflex more than anything else that made her say that. They didn't have any reason to get up early the next day.

It seemed early, though, when Paige heard a knock at the door the next morning.

"Paige?"

The voice, to Paige's surprise, was Pam's, not Emily's.

"Just a second!" Paige got up and wrapped a summer robe around herself, stumbling over to the door. She managed a smile, and she opened the door just wide share the expression on her face with Pam.

"Good morning, Honey. How did you sleep?"

Paige yawned and nodded, the door slipping open a little wider as she moved her hand to cover her mouth. "Okay."

"Well, why don't you throw something on quickly? Let's go pick up some breakfast."

* * *

Paige smiled nervously as Pam reached for her keys and headed to the front door. "Is Emily..."

Paige let the words hang. Pam squeezed her shoulder. "Oh, Emily's not much of a breakfast person. I thought you and I could grab a coffee." Pam was sporting a pleasant smile.

_O...kay..._ Paige thought to herself. Emily certainly seemed to like breakfast when they were back on campus. From the first time Paige met her, Emily was usually up and in the kitchen before Paige was. Paige knew that something was up. Either that, or Emily had been fooling her all this time.

There was no hint of deviousness in Pam's smile. Paige played along; - she didn't really have many other options.

Reading the worry that Paige was trying to hide in her expression, Pam said, "Emily will be fine. We'll pick up a bagel and a coffee for her on the way back." Paige nodded and stepped into Pam's car. As Pam fastened her seat belt, she continued, "Do you know how Emily takes her coffee?"

_It's a trap!_ Paige's shields went up immediately, with the suspicion that Pam was trying to get her to slip up and admit that she and Emily had shared morning-after coffee. But then she remembered that Pam already knew that Emily had moved in with her, so she relaxed and answered, "Lots of sugar." She smiled at the image of Emily emptying packet after packet into her cup. "But just a touch of cream. Unless she's super tired, in which case, she wants it black - preferably a dark roast. But, when in doubt, just get her a cappuccino!"

Pam laughed at the detailed description of the way that Emily does coffee. It was spot on. The question wasn't a trap, but it _was_ a test. Pam wanted to know whether Paige had been paying attention; whether she really cared for her daughter. And Paige passed with flying colors.

Their breakfast conversation was light and relaxed. Pam asked what Paige was studying, what she hoped to do after college; - the regular getting-to-know-you questions.

She saved the heavy questions for Emily. Paige wasn't surprised that Pam had arranged some alone-time with Emily. She was expecting there to be some cross-examination; Pam casually grilling Emily to see whether or not their stories lined up. So, despite the "Help me!" look that she was getting from Emily, Paige just smiled, not offering to tag along when Pam announced that they were going out to pick up a few things to cook for dinner.

* * *

Pam ambushed Emily in the middle of a pleasant conversation about her plans for her time with Wayne and Paige in El Paso: "So, what do you know about Paige?"

Emily looked up at the ceiling of the car with a dreamy expression. "Paige..."

"I mean, what do you _really_ know about her? Did she date a lot in high school?"

"Huh?" Emily was suddenly snapped back into reality. Pam was in full-on mom-mode.

"Were there a lot of girlfriends before you?"

"Mom..."

"No, Emmy! Because you're not just sleeping with her!" Pam waved her hand desperately. "You're sleeping with everyone she's ever slept with!"

"And she's sleeping with everyone I've ever slept with!" Pam gave Emily a pointed look. "No - Mom! That's not what I mean!"

"Well, maybe you can explain to me what you mean, then."

"Look, Mom. I know about Paige's past, and she knows about my past, okay? And that's nobody's business but ours, okay?" As Pam opened her mouth for a rebuttal, Emily continued. "And I get why you're concerned, and I get that my health is your business. So, we're very careful, okay? We don't engage in unsafe sex, and we use the campus medical resources." Emily glared at her mother. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Pam had expected Emily to get defensive, but she didn't want to fight with her. She rubbed her daughter's leg. "I know you aren't, Honey. But, like it or not, you're not fully an adult, either. Your father and I are still responsible for you."

"I know," Emily said weakly, looking out of the window.

"And I'm glad that you're behaving responsibly." Emily gave her mother a half-smile. Pam patted her cheek. "I heard what I needed to hear. I don't need the details. I just needed to know that _you_ know; that you guys have talked about it."

"Thanks," Emily said with a nervous grin. She relaxed back into her seat and changed the subject. "So, you two had breakfast?"

"Uh huh!" Pam looked over with a smile. "She's a real charmer!"

* * *

"Oh, my God, Mom! Paige can _not_ cook!" Emily was laughing as she pushed the shopping cart, enjoying the time with her mother.

"So you do all the cooking?"

Emily nodded, smiling brightly. "Pretty much. I mean, she tries, but... it's just better if I cook."

"So, what did she do before you came along?"

"Like, take out, or TV dinners, or - wait!" Emily pulled out her phone and scrolled through some pictures till she came up with a picture that she had taken a couple of weeks earlier. "Or this!" She showed Pam the picture.

Pam laughed, putting her hand on her chest. "Oh my, Emmy! Don't let this one get away," she teased.

Emily tucked her phone back into her pocket and hugged her mom. "I'm so glad that you taught me my way around the kitchen."

Emily pushed the cart ahead of her for a few steps before she turned serious. "Paige never really had that. Her relationship with her parents has been... complicated."

Pam nodded in understanding. "Was it hard for you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean that, sometimes, it's hard for someone who didn't have a good family relationship to be in a good relationship."

Emily sighed with a shrug. "I suppose," she admitted, "it was a little hard at first. And I know that she had some bad relationships before me."

Pam nodded. "You're good for her," she said softly.

"I hope so!"

"No. I can tell. I can tell by the way that she talks about you, and the way that she looks when _I_ talk about you."

Emily smiled shyly. "Really?" Pam just smiled. "She told me that I helped her," Emily said with a shrug. "Spencer said that, too."

"And what do you say?"

Emily started pushing the shopping cart again. "I say, she's good for me, too."

"Well," Pam sighed, giving Emily's back a gentle rub as they headed for the check-out line, "let's get this show on the road! We don't want to keep your girl waiting!"


	27. In Rosewood

Saturday evening found Paige and Emily half reclining in Emily's window seat. Paige was resting against Emily with her back against Emily's chest. They were gazing, silently, for the most part, at the stars through the large bay window, enjoying their time together.

The bedroom door was open. And Pam was just down the hall.

"Uggh!" Emily groaned out her frustration, sitting up a bit. Paige turned around to see what was wrong. "It's just frustrating, that's all. I'm not used to being so close to you like this, and not being able to..." Emily groaned in frustration again. "I'm not used to... having to put on the brakes."

"It's kind of nice," Paige said, shrugging slightly as she settled back into Emily's arms.

"Nice," Emily echoed skeptically. "What do you mean?"

"You know. It's nice that we can be here, sharing a romantic moment, and just enjoy being with each other. Without the need to take things further."

"Uh huh." Emily stood up, grabbing her phone and typing out a message. "Let's go!"

She gave Paige a hand up, keeping hold of her hand as they walked down the hall. "Mom, we're going to Hanna's," she called out matter-of-factly as they walked past the master bedroom, not pausing for a reply.

"We're going to Hanna's?"

"Yup. I told her that we needed her place for the rest of the night. Her mom's out of town, as usual."

"I don't know, Emily... we can't just... I mean, I don't feel right about kicking Hanna out of her own house just so we can..."

"Oh, Hanna doesn't care," Emily whined. Paige frowned. "Seriously, Paige." Emily's tone was more stern and demanding. "It's fine." When she saw that Paige still wasn't buying it, she changed her appeal. "Come on! She owes us... _Marina_?"

Paige hesitated a moment before she nodded eagerly. "Yeah - I suppose she does owe us!"

They were down the stairs and out of the house in a flash. Paige was having a hard time keeping her hands - and her lips - off of Emily on the short walk to Hanna's place. Emily's mind flashed briefly to her neighbors - Mrs. Forbes, for whom she used to babysit, Mrs. Witherow, whom Emily used to help out with the shopping and with chores around the house after her hip replacement, Mr. Rayburn, who often came by to check on the house when Emily's dad was deployed, and whose weirdo son would probably enjoy the public display, if he were watching.

Emily couldn't have cared less about them. She and Paige weren't doing anything to be ashamed of. What they had was beautiful - and much more family friendly than the violent and misogynistic crap that her neighbors wouldn't think twice about letting their kids watch on TV or at the movies.

But that's not what was going through Emily's mind at that time. The only thing she was thinking was, "One more block... three more houses... Oh, God! Right there, Paige!"

* * *

Even though Hanna didn't need to stick around to let Paige and Emily into the house - Emily and her friends all knew how to get into each other's houses - she was pretty sure that Hanna would still be home when they got there. Hanna would never have missed the opportunity to make a big deal over them and what they needed the house for. Surely enough, she was waiting for them at the front door, with her arms out wide. "Welcome to Casa Marin - or, as it's known tonight, The Lesbian Love Shack! Emily!" She hugged Emily and kissed both her cheeks. "Paigey!" Paige glared at her. Emily squeezed Paige's hand, giving her a look that said, "Humor her." The sooner they got rid of Hanna, the sooner they could get busy. Paige begrudgingly accepted Hanna's hug and kisses.

Hanna linked arms with them and guided them upstairs. "Your suite is all prepared!" Emily gave Paige a nervous look as she contemplated what Hanna's preparations might involve. Hanna pushed open the door to her bedroom, ushering the way with her hands. "Voilà!"

In the short time between Emily's text and their arrival, Hanna had busied herself by kicking the clutter under her bed or into the closet and decorating her bed with fashion and entertainment magazines with covers featuring Angelina Jolie, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Ruby Rose, and anyone else who, in Hanna's warped mind, would help get them in the mood. Her laptop was open and looping Mary Lambert's video for "She Keeps Me Warm." She had raided her mom's wine cabinet and placed a bottle and some stemware by the bed.

"'Kay, thanks, bye, Hanna," Emily said, with the emphasis on "bye."

"Bye," Hanna replied in a pleasant sing-song voice as Emily closed the bedroom door on her, "Don't do anyone I wouldn't do!"

"Bye, Hanna!"

"And I would! Do both of you!" Hanna called from the other side of the closed door. "Twice!"

Emily sighed as she leaned against the door. The sigh turned into an expectant smile once she caught the intense look on Paige's face.

Paige chuckled as she turned off the music. Emily, meanwhile, tumbled all of the magazines off of the bed and perched on it. She wasn't dressed to seduce. Fortunately, she didn't need to be.

They didn't need much warming up.

The night wasn't too different from their early hook-up days, marked by wild abandon and fueled by lust. And yet, it wasn't like those days at all, nor could it ever be again. These days, their lust wasn't body to body; a purely physical need. Their lust was spirit to spirit, and their bodies were merely the vessels through which their psyches were able to connect. Their fucking was nothing but a physical expression of an emotional reality.

* * *

"You smell so good," Paige remarked as she nuzzled into Emily's neck.

"Thanks," Emily said. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not smelling me."

Paige pulled away, confused, and took a few whiffs of the air around them. "Hanna?"

Emily nodded. Hanna had managed to infuse the room with a subtle hint of the scent of Emily's favorite peach-and-shea-butter body wash - a scent that smelled like sex to Paige.

"Damn! She's good!"

"Oh, yes, she is," Emily said with a devious smirk, pulling Paige in for a kiss, "but not nearly as good as you are."

In their hook-up days, they would have gone again; rested and recovered - slept a little perhaps - before the light touching started again, and then the kisses, each becoming more purposeful and intense as desire took its toll. But, this time, things were different. Pam was waiting for them. It was one thing when Emily was in college, and Pam didn't know where she was, but, back in Rosewood, Pam was expecting Emily to spend the nights in her bed - alone.

They didn't plan to defy Pam's authority. They didn't plan to spend the night in Hanna's bed. They didn't lose track of time. They just lost themselves in each other, and in each other's love.

"How pissed off do you think your mom's going to be?"

Emily sighed. "I texted her last night that we were staying over. She was upset, but not as upset as she would've been if I had tried to do it behind her back."

Emily told Paige that she had had "the talk" with Pam. "She knows that we're going to do what we want to do. So, she's just concerned that we're being safe, and I told her that we are. She says she knows that you love me and aren't taking advantage of me." Emily gave Paige a shy smile and shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry." Emily rubbed Paige's arm and kissed her on the shoulder.

"You're lucky that your mom looks out for you like that, Em." Paige trailed her index finger the length of Emily's torso. "I know it seems annoying, but it's really kind of great."

Emily nodded. "I love my Mom."

"Yeah, I can tell," Paige said. She paused and changed her tone before she continued,"What I _don't_ get is why you felt the need to show her that picture."

Emily, surprised that Paige had heard about that, burst into laughter. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She was apologizing for her unguarded laughter, not for having shown Pam the picture.

"You know, Em, Mac and Cheese is an American classic..."

"Even if that were true Paige - give me a break! At least take it out of that little microwave bowls before you put it on the plate!"

"I used a plate! I was trying to make it special for you!"

"Is that why you put the sparklers around it?"

"American. Classic," Paige reiterated.

Emily, worried that she had hurt Paige's feelings, gave her a hug and a kiss. "I'm just messing with you. My Mom thought that it was cute. She wasn't making fun of you."

"I know," Paige said, her tone upbeat. "You're allowed to tease!" Emily nodded, contrite; still worried that she gone too far. "Can I tell you something else?"

"What?"

Paige whispered, "You are _so_ beautiful."

Emily pulled her in close. "Mmmm... how else do you think I could get such a sexy girlfriend?"

"How much time do we have till Hanna gets back?" Paige was using her sex-voice, a low, husky growl.

"Hanna's not the problem. She won't come back till she hears from me." Emily looked down, sadly. "The problem is that my Mom's expecting us for breakfast."

"Oh." Paige pouted.

"Yeah. So you have to be quick!"

Paige smiled at the phrase, which Emily used to evoke the memory of the first time Paige had spent the night with her. "In the shower?"

"I'll race you!"

* * *

Pam decided not to make a big deal about what Paige and Emily had done. True, they knew what she expected of them, and they deliberately went behind her back. But they were adults, old enough to make their own decisions, and they were young - too young to be expected to have very much self-control. The important thing for Pam to do was make sure that Emily trusted her enough to be honest with her.

When Paige and Emily returned with their heads down in contrition, she hugged them and forgave them, and they enjoyed their breakfast.

They passed the afternoon playing a friendly game of Scrabble. That was a new concept to Paige - "friendly game." She was used to a cutthroat competition, complete with coalitions of convenience and backstabbing betrayals.

She didn't take to the format very well.

The first indication of trouble came during Paige's turn, when she caught Emily leaning over her mom's tray to try to help her out. "Well, what if I put this word down on my turn?" Emily offered, tilting her tray toward Pam's. "That will give you the 'A' you need to put down this," she said, rearranging some tiles on her mother's tray.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Paige protested. Emily turned toward her with a look of pure innocence. "You guys are ganging up on me?"

"Paige, I'd be happy to look at _your_ letters, too," Emily said, leaning over with a pleasant smile. Pam was nodding her head to indicate that she, too, was willing to help Paige.

Paige snatched her tray away like a basketball player protecting the ball that she had just rebounded. Emily and her mom looked at each other, confused. They had no idea what the big secret was.

* * *

"Oh, come on!" Paige was trying her best to adjust to the Fields way of playing, but she had reached her limit. "PINQUE is clearly not a word!"

"Paige," Emily said calmly, "we don't challenge each other's words in a friendly game."

"So you mean to tell me, if I put down this" - she turned her tray around to expose the seven consonants that she had drawn - "you wouldn't challenge it?"

"Well, Honey, if you feel that that... 'word' is appropriate for a friendly game of Scrabble, then you should play it."

"Yeah!" Emily's eyes lit up in excitement, "You should put it right there! You'd get at least 150 points!"

Paige shook her head, raising her hands in defeat. "Unbelievable!" She vainly rearranged the letters on her tray, muttering, "I would love to hear what Spencer would have to say about this!"

"Spencer?" Emily laughed, squeezing Paige's shoulder. "Oh, Paige, you lasted way longer than Spencer did!"

Emily looked at Pam, who threw her hands up, imitating Spencer, and yelled, "I'm out!" She and Emily doubled over in convulsions of laughter.

* * *

Paige gave Pam and Emily some space that night. She didn't make a big deal about it; she simply took the armchair as they settled in for their movie-fest after dinner, letting them sit together on the couch. She knew how important family was to them, and that they wouldn't get to see each other again until a few weeks into the summer.

Watching them together warmed her heart; the way that communicated with just a gesture or an expression, and the obvious affection they shared. She managed to get a picture of the pair without their noticing. When Emily felt her phone buzz and retrieved Paige's text, she let out an "Awww!" and shared a hug with her mother as she showed her the phone.

It was hard for Emily to go to bed alone that night, as overcome with emotions as she was. Being with Paige on a normal evening with family only increased the tug that Paige had on her heart. It was as of Paige belonged there; as if they belonged there. Emily never knew life without her mother, and, now that Paige had entered into that space, Emily was having a hard time imagining a life that Paige wasn't a part of. She gave Paige a long hug and a heartfelt kiss good night at the door to the guest room. She sighed with a half-smile, finding some consolation in the thought that she would be back in Paige's apartment and back in her bed before too very long.


	28. In a Jam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! So, let's, please, disregard the fact that I know nothing about cars and just enjoy the chapter, shall we?
> 
> Thank you... and thanks for reading! :)

"Come on, Baby, come on, Baby, come on, Baby..."

Emily woke up and shook the cobwebs off, gazing through blurry eyes at Paige, in the driver's seat, tapping the top of the dashboard, leaning forward as if she expected the extra momentum to help keep the car moving. When she saw steam coming out of the hood, she snapped to attention.

"Paige! What's going on?"

Paige glanced over quickly. "She's overheating! Damn it! I just need to make it to the next exit..."

"Paige! Pull over to the shoulder! You're a hazard, in the middle of traffic like this."

Paige glared at Emily but decided she was right, and pulled off to the side. "Shit!" she exclaimed, slamming her hand against the steering wheel. Her first summer road trip with Emily was not getting off to a good start.

"Paige! Relax! Do you have Triple A?"

"No!" Paige was obviously annoyed.

"Paige!" Emily shook her head. "This is why you should always get Triple A!"

"Yeah, well that would've been great advice a couple of weeks ago!"

"God, Paige - chill out!" Emily rubbed Paige's arm, but Paige was having none of it. Emily sighed and undid her seat belt. "I'll take a look," she said flatly.

"You?"

"Yes. I."

"Emily, it's overheated. We have to get it towed!"

"Okay! Just let me take a look, okay? God!"

"What can _you_ do?"

"Paige. I practically grew up in the garage with my Dad after school when I was a kid!"

"I thought you 'practically grew up' in the pool." Paige didn't bother trying to hide the bitterness in her tone.

"Yeah, well, I'm an army brat. I grew up a lot of places." Emily slammed the door shut behind her. Paige exhaled, popped the release for the hood, and followed after her.

Emily pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and stood back with her eyes closed and a scowl on her face as she lifted the hood, unleashing a barrage of steam. "Oh, see? Your radiator's bone dry. We need some lubrication. Any of that water left?"

"No," Paige droned dejectedly. "I was going to get some more at the next rest stop."

"Okay, well..." Emily, hands on her side, sighed. "One of us is going to have to..." She lowered her head, raising her eyebrows, trying to get Paige to pick up her drift. "You know..."

Paige didn't know. She stared at her blankly.

"... in the tank?" Emily tilted her head toward the radiator, then took a quick but obvious glance down towards Paige's crotch. "some... _liquid_?"

"Oh, fuck! Oh, shit! Oh well..." Paige let out a deep sigh. She recovered quickly, resigned to what Emily was implying. She knew what she had to do, if they were ever going to get back on the road. "Good thing I drank all that coffee this morning!" She looked around, hoping for some privacy, gestured for Emily to come over to provide some cover, and started undoing the button of her jeans.

"Paige!" Emily couldn't help laughing. She put her hand on top of Paige's hands to get her to stop. "I'm just messing with you! Holy shee!"

Paige smiled, embarrassed.

"There's a big thing of coolant in the trunk! You didn't see it when you were putting the bags in there?" Paige shook her head. Even if she had seen it, she wouldn't have thought twice about it - or even known what it was. Emily pointed to the radiator. "I just need to get this cap off. Can you get me a rag or something, so I don't burn my fingers?"

Without a word, Paige took off her plaid shirt, bit the seam at the sleeve, and started ripping it.

Emily didn't try to stop her. She didn't want to stop her.

When Paige tried to hand over the sleeve, Emily just stood there.

She needed a moment.

Seeing Paige in only a flimsy black tank top, shedding and shredding her shirt like some kind of wild beast... Paige's car wasn't the only thing overheating.

"What?" Paige asked impatiently.

"Nothing. Nothing." Emily shook her head quickly. "I could've used the whole shirt, you know," she mumbled. "Or, like, a sock, or something."

Paige shrugged. "Well, my arms were hot anyway. I'm going to take off the other sleeve, too."

"Yeah, your arms are hot, all right," Emily whispered to herself.

"Huh?"

"I don't know." Emily tried to focus. "Can you just get me the coolant from the trunk, please?"

Paige, in the middle of ripping off her other sleeve, nodded.

Emily gave Paige's shoulder a squeeze before she let her head off for the trunk. It wasn't a comforting, "it's going to be okay" kind of squeeze. She just wanted to get the feel of those newly exposed guns.

When Paige, smiling, turned around, Emily cupped her cheek and gave her a soft kiss.

"What was that for?" The smile was still stretched across Paige's face. "For being so gullible?"

"No! Just..." Emily stroked her thumb down Paige's cheek. "It's just... You didn't even think about how we were going to decide who was going to... _go_ in the radiator. You were just going to go ahead and do it, so that I wouldn't have to."

Paige chuckled. "Well, I may not be quite as selfless as you're giving me credit for." With a shrug, she added, "You know me! Paige the Problem Solver!" She gestured toward the radiator, setting up the play on words that she was about to unleash. "'Find a need and fill it!'"

Emily backed away from her, giving her a sideways glance and a confused scowl.

"What? It's an expression! 'Find a need and...' Oh, good Lord, Fields! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

* * *

"Okay," Emily said, putting on her seat belt. "We should be okay for a while, but keep it slow. And let's stop at the next rest area, to see whether or not we can find someone to take a look."

"Okay," Paige said as she closed the door and settled into her seat. Before she fastened her seat belt, she leaned over and kissed Emily, hard.

Emily, a bit stunned, responded with a weak, "You're welcome?"

Paige shrugged. "There's something about a girl who knows her way around underneath the hood of a car."

"Yeah, well, kiss me like that again, and, instead of a mechanic, we're going to be looking for a motel!"

Paige froze in place for a moment. "Actually..."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Kidding! You know that my Dad's expecting us tonight!"

"We don't have to spend the _night_ , Emily! Just give me an hour! Ninety minutes, tops! We can get... you know..." Paige gave Emily a pleading kiss. "...stuck in traffic?"

"Yeah. Is there any of that coolant left? Because you could use some right about now, McCullers!"

* * *

They found a mechanic at the service station who was able to take care of the radiator while they waited. They picked up some food and water, and sat at one of the picnic-style tables outside. Emily sat with her back to the table, propped up on her elbows, with her long legs stretched out in front of her, bare except for what her teeny pink jogging shorts covered. She tilted her head back, enjoying the feeling of the sun, her eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Paige was straddling the bench, wishing that she could show her girlfriend some affection, but wary of the kind of potentially violent reaction they might encounter out there in the heartland. She let out a heavy breath.

"What's wrong?"

"How am I supposed to concentrate on driving with you..." Paige pointed her palms at Emily's body.

Emily smiled, sitting up a little. "Do you want me to drive?"

"No, because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you, and I'll get you all hot and bothered, and you'll be distracted, and we'll probably end up getting into an accident."

"Well, how about this?" Emily sat up, turning to straddle the bench, facing Paige. She made her voice deep and silky. "Once we get your car back, we find a spot in the far corner of the parking lot, lock all the doors, roll up those tinted windows of yours, and blow off a little steam?"

* * *

Paige was much more relaxed when they got back on the road. The mechanic had the car running much better, and she and Emily had been able to work through some of their tension. Emily was driving, both because she wanted to give Paige a break from behind the wheel, and because she had been to Ft. Bliss before, so she was somewhat familiar with the way to her father's house, once they got to the El Paso area.

Paige couldn't stop laughing at the name. "Fort Bliss... Take me to Fort Bliss, Emily," she cooed." "Ohh, Emily! Don't stop! I'm about to reach Fort Bliss!"

Emily shoved Paige aside. "I swear, Paige, you can be so juvenile sometimes!"

Paige wasn't finished. She snapped a picture of the road sign announcing the exit, and read her caption out loud as she typed it into Instagram: "Girlfriend got me to Fort Bliss last night."

The sun was just setting over a long Texas day as Emily pulled up to her father's building. Wayne buzzed them in and hurried back to the stove. Emily had been feeding him updates on their estimated arrival time as they traveled, but it was impossible for him to time the dinner completely accurately. "Just drop your things by the door," he called from the kitchen. "I'll get you settled once I finish dinner."

"Oh, Dad," Emily said affectionately, hugging him from behind, "I think we'll be able to manage taking our bags down the hall!"

Paige trailed behind her into the kitchen, announcing, "Wow! That smells amazing!"

"I managed to pick up a few tricks for the kitchen here and there, over the years," Wayne said proudly, turning his head away from what he was stirring to shoot Paige a smile and a wink. "You know, Emily's mother loves to cook, but not absolutely every day." Wayne pointed his spatula at Paige, cueing her to the fact that he was giving her some good relationship advice. "A word to the wise. Mac and cheese is fine for college, but..."

Emily's jaw dropped and she felt her face start to flush. She couldn't believe that Wayne let Paige know that he had heard about the mac and cheese incident. Paige didn't appear bothered, though. "Oh, I know how that goes," she said, laughing lightly. "And, believe me, when I need to give Emily a break from the kitchen, I know how to order in!"

Emily patted Paige on the back. "That strategy's not going to work so well once you get out in the real world and start earning that English-major salary." She tugged at Paige's arm, urging her toward the guest room.

"You know, there's no such thing as an English-major salary," Paige said, as if this were a point she made often. "Nobody gets paid to be an English major! I'm actually going to get a real job!"

"I know you are, Paige!" Emily kissed her. "I'm just messing with you!"

"I know you are, Em! I'm just playing along."

They dropped Emily's bags in the spare room, and Emily collapsed backwards onto the bed, raising her welcoming arms to get Paige to join her there. Paige was going to sleep on the couch for the next couple of nights. The newspaper at which she was interning had matched her with another intern to share an apartment, but Paige wouldn't be able to move in until the following Monday.

Wayne Fields' cooking lived up to the high expectations that had been set by the aroma that Paige and Emily encountered when they entered the apartment. They were all a bit tired, so not much was said over dinner. They would have all day Sunday to catch up with each other.

* * *

Paige spent some time with Emily, in Emily's room, before heading to the sofa bed for the night. Wayne was a little more open-minded than Pam, so they were able to keep the guest room's door closed. It wasn't as if anything was going on. That would have been awkward; - the door wasn't soundproof, after all. Still, it was nice to be able to share some private moments without having to worry about Lieutenant Colonel Fields catching a glimpse of their displays of affection as he paraded through the hall.

They lay propped up against a mass of pillows on the bed, not really saying much. Paige was listening to the beating of Emily's heart, enjoying the feeling of Emily's arms around her and the occasional kisses that Emily pressed into her hair.

"Are you sure that you're going to be able to get along with this Destiny chick?"

"Oh, you know me, Emily!" Paige's voice was projecting more confidence than she felt. "I can get along with anybody."

"Uh huh," Emily said skeptically. "As long as you don't have to share an apartment with her."

Paige rolled her eyes. "Ha ha!" Anyway, it's not as though either one of us will be home very much. This internship's going to keep us hopping for 10 to 12 hours a day." Emily sucked some air through her teeth in sympathy. Paige stroked Emily's forearm, looking up with a shrug which said that it wouldn't be so bad. "And that just leaves the evenings," she continued, "and you'll come by and keep me company in the evenings, right?"

"Well, yeah..." Emily sighed. "Until I go back to Rosewood." She kissed Paige's head. "But I also really want to spend some time with my Dad, you know."

"Oh, yeah." Paige nodded up at Emily. "Of course."

Emily squeezed her arms around Paige. "Sorry..."

"You shouldn't be, Em. Of course, you want to spend time with your dad. After all, that's the whole reason that you came out here this summer."

Emily gave Paige's shoulder a tug to get her to turn around. "Not the _whole_ reason." She gave Paige a passionate kiss to remind her of the other reason.


	29. In El Paso

When it came to his daughter's relationship with Paige, Wayne Fields was a realist. He knew that it was unreasonable, or naïve, at least, to expect the girls to remain celibate for the period of time that they were together in El Paso. He only laid down two rules. First, they had to let him know where they would be beforehand; no "I'm sorry, we lost track of the time" after the fact. Second, there was to be no funny business in his apartment. He established that rule out of respect to Pam, mostly. At the same time, he didn't want to come home unexpectedly and see and hear his girls being girls.

They were happy to live within the limits of these rules. They settled into a routine. Emily spent the week with her father, sharing breakfast with him in the morning and getting a ride with him to Fort Bliss. From there, she was able to take the post shuttle to whatever building she needed to get to, depending on whom she was covering for. They spent the evenings together, sharing dinner and some other activity – working on Wayne's car, going to the gym, playing basketball, or watching TV. Fridays evenings, they met Paige for dinner. They rotated responsibility for dinner. The person whose turn it was on any given week had to cook or order something, or choose a restaurant. In theory, that person paid for the dinner, too, but it wasn't in Wayne's nature to let "his kids" pay for a meal. After dinner, Emily rode home with Paige, and spent the rest of the weekend at her apartment. Often, the three of them got together on Saturday or Sunday to do some sightseeing, often driving out of El Paso to see some other nearby attractions.

Emily really enjoyed her mornings with her dad. Between his deployments and his move to Texas, it had been a while since she had been able to spend any time with him, and she really missed him. She almost didn't realize how much she missed him until she was there with him. They had a way of teasing each other that inevitably led to some playful sparring. It ended up with her father yelling, "Elder abuse! Elder abuse!" as he fended off her attacks with one hand. "You're getting soft," he said, as he corrected her technique. "Remember…"

"Every time you attack, you leave yourself vulnerable for a counterattack," she mocked. "Yeah, yeah. Good thing my opponent is old and slow!"

"Well, if that girlfriend of yours doesn't treat you right, you'll see how fast I can be when I go into attack mode!"

"Dad!" Emily approached her father, and he protected himself, holding her at arm's length. "Dad," she whined, "I just wanted to give you a hug!"

"Oh, okay," he said, sheepishly.

"Thanks," she told him, kissing his cheek. "But you don't have to worry about Paige."

"I know that, Sweetheart. But that's not going to stop me from worrying."

* * *

"So, Dad, do you know where I'm going to be working next week?" Emily asked during Friday night dinner. It was Paige's week to choose, so they were eating out, of course, at an Applebee's crowded with other soldiers and their families.

"Yeah. You're lucky. You're going to be working with an attractive, young officer. They say he's the brightest guy on post."

Emily rolled her eyes, smiling at Paige. "Oh, God!"

Paige smiled back at her. She could tell that something was going on, but she couldn't quite figure out what.

"Apparently, I'm going to be working for my Dad next week!"

"Well, that should be fun." Paige let out a nervous laugh, not sure whether you should be happy or sad for Emily.

"It'll be a blast! It'll be just like when you were – what? three years old, and I took you to my office with me…"

Emily buried her head in Paige's shoulder. She didn't remember that day; she only remembered her father retelling the story. Countless times.

"You should've seen her, Paige. She was in charge. Just like her old man. She sat at that desk and gave it to everyone who came through that door."

"Sounds adorable," Paige said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Oh, it was, it was! Trust me." Wayne turned his attention to Emily. "And, don't worry, Hon. This time, you can go to the potty all by yourself!" Emily gasped and struck her father's shoulder, unable to believe that he went there.

"I don't think you want to start this, Wayne Fields," she said, scrolling on her phone. "I've still got some dub smashes on my phone that I'm pretty sure you don't want me to share with Paige!"

"What, you mean when I hit that… hit that…"

Emily rolled her yes. "Quan," she said through a deep sigh.

"You know it! I've got the moves!"

Paige's throat hurt from laughing as she watched the two of them go back and forth. She couldn't imagine relating to her father like that – as if he were a friend.

* * *

"You're so lucky," Paige told Emily as she drove back to her apartment.

"Yeah, I really am." Had it been one of her other friends who told her that, Emily would've made it into a joke, but, knowing that Paige's family life left so much to be desired, Emily just acknowledged the truth and squeezed Paige's hand, comfortingly.

"That's the kind of parent I want to be," Paige said softly. "Well, that's the kind of parent I _hope_ I can be."

Emily squeezed Paige's hand again. "You will be, Paige." Paige smiled at her, wanting to believe her.

"Thank you," Emily said sincerely.

"For?"

"For taking this internship in El Paso. I didn't realize how much I missed my Dad."

"You're welcome." Paige waited a moment and added, "He missed you, too."

"Yeah." Emily took Paige's hand into her lap. "Anyway, that's how I know that you're going to be a great parent, because you always think about other people. That's really what being a parent is – putting someone else's needs before your own."

"I guess it's easy, when you're doing it for someone you love."

"Yeah," Emily said softly. "Hey, Paige, what do you say we skip out on the mountain tomorrow?" They were supposed to join Wayne and some of his buddies hiking in the Franklin Mountains State Park.

"Are you sure? Your dad's going to be disappointed… I think he's looking forward to showing you off to his friends."

"No, it'll be fine. They planned this trip before we decided to come out for the summer. I'm sure he'd be just as happy without us."

"You're sure?" Emily nodded. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"I thought we could borrow my dad's bikes and take a ride into town, maybe look at some shops, have lunch – nothing big." Emily was enjoying the time with her father, but he wasn't the only reason that she was in El Paso. And, after the way that Paige talked about her and her dad, Emily really wanted to give Paige that sense of family; of someone who wanted to hang out with her, spend time with her, enjoy just being with her.

Paige nodded, glancing over. "That sounds perfect."

* * *

Paige's leg was bouncing underneath her desk. She was biting her lip, trying to keep her breathing under control, and staring at the clock. The second hand was taking forever to move.

It was Friday, and this was to be Emily's last weekend with Paige. Wayne had considerately bowed out of dinner plans, leaving the two of them to enjoy a proper good-bye meal. Paige had made arrangements one of the nicer restaurants just outside the city. She wanted everything to be perfect. But that's not what was making her jittery.

Paige's phone lit up, to indicate a text from Emily. She looked around, making sure that she didn't have anyone's attention, before she moved the phone to her lap and opened the message.

Emily had done some shopping, and she was texting different looks to Paige.

"It's a little tight," she said of a ribbed tank top that seemed to have been molded around her curves. She was pouting in the picture as she held the camera high above her head, giving Paige a perfect view of just how tight it was. "Too much?"

"Do these make my butt look big?" she asked about the tiniest of pair of leather shorts.

"Good thing I had a wax! :)," she texted with a shot of barely there lacy black panties.

"Paige! Unzip me!" There was a shot of Emily, with her back to the mirror, making it look as if she couldn't reach the zipper of a body-hugging little black dress.

Paige, who was working and couldn't really respond, took a risk and typed, "I'd just rip it off u."

Emily was glad to get the reply. She knew that Paige was at work and probably not somewhere where she could text, but, still, she couldn't help fear that she was making a fool out of herself with all of the pictures. She turned to face the mirror, bending slightly to show a bit of cleavage, and puckering her lips. "Well hurry home, Love!"

Paige began fanning herself with the pages that she was supposed to be proofreading. She gasped in shock when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Paige, are you okay?" her editor, Jean, asked, in her distinctive Texas twang. Paige flipped her phone over quickly in her lap and stuttered out a reply. Her editor hadn't seen what was on her phone, but she had seen how jittery Paige had been for the past few minutes. Paige's eagerness to hide whatever was on her phone was simply the final confirmation. "You don't look so good. Get out of here. I don't want you getting the rest of my staff sick."

Paige looked up to protest that she was fine, but her editor gave her a wink. "Go on," she said. "It's Friday. There's nothing on your desk that can't wait till Monday."

Paige smiled apologetically and thanked her. Jean gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Have a _great_ weekend, Paige."

"I intend to," Paige said, dipping her head. As she gathered her things, she fired off a quick text to Emily, letting her know that she was on her way.

Emily's heart started beating faster when she got Paige's text. She was eager to see her, of course, but their dinner reservations were still two hours off, and she hadn't even showered. She weighed her options briefly before she called her father to let him know that Paige was coming by to pick her up early. Emily, whose had finished her job for the summer, had dropped him off at work that morning, so that she could use his car for her shopping trip. She was supposed to pick him up after work, but he assured her that he would be able to get a ride.

Paige stopped by her apartment for the quickest shower of her life. She was dressed and ready in a flash, taking her time driving to Wayne's apartment, listening to mellow jazz to cool herself down.

When Emily met Paige at the door wearing the dress that Paige had promised to rip off of her, all of the pictures that Emily had sent came flooding back. Before Emily could get the door closed, Paige had her against the wall in the entryway. Her hands and her lips were everywhere, and she was moaning needily. As Paige was nipping at her neck, Emily managed to pull it together enough to put on the breaks. "Paige..." she breathed out, "Not here... My Dad!"

Paige stepped back, and Emily lunged for her shoulder to keep from collapsing. Paige leaned her head back, running her fingers through her hair as she stared at the ceiling. "Destiny's home," she said, frustrated. Emily tilted her head and bit the corner of her lip, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Yeah, you know what? Fuck it!" She grabbed Emily's hand and pulled her toward the exit.

"Paige! Let me grab my things!" Paige chuckled lightly. Emily gave her a quick kiss to hold her over while she dashed to grab her bag.

When they came crashing through the door to Paige's apartment, Destiny took one look at them and announced, "I'm... just... going to go... now." Paige smiled a thank-you in her direction. Once Destiny was gone, Paige and Emily made a beeline to the bedroom.

"Wait!" Emily yelled urgently, reaching for the zipper in the back of her dress before Paige could make good on her promise. "It's brand new!"

"Oh, yeah." Paige shot Emily a sheepish grin. "Sorry."

They never made it to the restaurant.

* * *

"Paige," Emily whisper-shouted as she tapped her sleeping girlfriend on the shoulder. "Paige!" When Paige rolled over onto her back and grunted, Emily whispered, "I'm hungry!"

"What time is it?"

"It's 10:45. Do you think Destiny's back?"

"I don't know." Paige rubbed her eyes. "God, only 10:45? Why am I so tired?"

"I'm going to get something to eat!"

Emily didn't feel like getting dressed. Paige smiled as she watched her creep toward the door like a soldier on a special-ops mission. She made it to the door and opened it slowly, smiling back at Paige as if to say, "Let's do this!"

Emily bounced quickly into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, its light the only illumination in the room. She grabbed some cheese, cold cuts, and mustard, and picked up a loaf of bread from the top of the refrigerator. When she turned around, she saw the glow of the TV in the living room and panicked, dashing back to the bedroom, no longer trying to be surreptitious. "She's HERE!" she said, speaking out loud for the first time since she woke up.

"Did she see you?"

Emily shook her head slowly and laughed, letting out the tension.

Later, as Emily sat cross-legged on the bed eating her sandwich, her legs covered by the sheet and her chest only covered by her hair, which she kept pushing behind her back, Paige laughed and said, "I love that I'm the one who gets to see you like this. I mean," she said, gesturing to her nakedness, "not - like this - but, playful like this."

Emily gave her a wink. "You bring out the freak in me."

"Don't try to blame that on me," Paige said with a wry smirk.

After a bit, Emily complained, "I'm thirsty!"

Paige shrugged. "You know where we keep the drinks."

"Paige! What if she's still out there?"

"So? Just put on a damned robe!"

"Ugh! Fine!" Emily got up and picked the shirt that Paige had been wearing earlier, when they were still planning to go out, up from the floor. She had to tug on it with a hand on each side, to keep herself covered. "You have no sense of adventure!" She tiptoed quickly to the kitchen, leaving the door open so that she could smile back at Paige on the journey, sharing the adventure with her.

"The trouble with your roommate," Emily said when she got back, "is that she thinks four hours is enough time to vacate the apartment. Say what you want about Hanna, but she had the common decency to give us the whole night!"

"Emily..."

"I know, I know. I'm just kidding. It was nice of her to leave on the spur of the moment."

* * *

"I'm sorry that we didn't get to go out to dinner," Paige said, stroking Emily's hair as they lay next to each other."

"I'm not," Emily said truthfully. "I'm glad that I got to spend the time alone with you."

"You got all dressed up for nothing."

"I got all dressed up for you, Paige."

Paige smiled, giving Emily a kiss. "Thank you." Emily didn't reply. She just squeezed Paige a little tighter. "We should probably get some sleep," Paige said. "We've got to get to your dad's early tomorrow morning."

"Yeah," Emily agreed. But they didn't sleep. It was the last time that they would be able to see each other - and to hold each other - for a little over a month, and they were in no hurry for the night to end.


	30. In Different Cities

Paige woke Emily early on Saturday morning. They drove to Wayne's apartment, where Paige said a quick good-bye, leaving Emily to pack for her flight back to Philadelphia and spend some time with her dad before Paige came back to pick her up and take her to the airport.

Wayne had breakfast - bagels, fruit, and coffee - on the table when Emily arrived. He had retrieved her suitcase from his storage area in the basement of the complex and set it out, open, on top of the bed in the spare room. Emily couldn't help smiling at the fact that, when Wayne changed the linen, he had pointedly remade the bed the Army way.

It was going to be hard to say good-bye.

After she finished packing, they sat together on the couch and talked about her plans for the rest of the summer and for her sophomore year.

Wayne, as he always did, reminded Emily to look after her mother. "It's hard for her to be alone in that house. She's like you, in that respect."

"Why, because she's a _girl?_ "

"That's not what I mean, Emmy. You know it's true. You guys are better when you've got someone at your side." Wayne lowered his gaze.

"Dad, she understands," Emily said, reaching for his shoulder. "She knew what it would be like when she married a soldier."

"I know," Wayne said with a shrug. "But it's not easy for me, knowing that I should be there for her."

Emily put her arm around his shoulders. "I'll look after her."

"So, what about Paige?" Wayne quickly changed the subject. "What's she planning to do after she graduates?"

"She wants to get a job in journalism, somewhere. We're hoping that it's somewhere close, at least until I finish college..."

"And grad school!"

"And grad school. But, you know, once I finish college, I hope that I can be more flexible about where I go to grad school."

Wayne sighed. "You guys have talked about it?"

"We've talked about it."

"Well, that's good. I hope you plan to keep on talking about it." Emily nodded. "Because I'd hate to see you turn down a good opportunity just to be at a school that's closer to Paige."

"I know, Dad. We _talked_ about it. It's give and take. Anyway, we both agreed that, even if we have to be apart for a couple of years, we're still going to stay together."

Wayne smiled and nodded. "Well, that's good. I'm glad to hear that." He hugged Emily from the side. "She's a good woman, Emily."

Emily smiled, grateful for her dad's endorsement. "I think so."

When Paige came up, she took Emily's suitcase and threw the strap of Emily's carry-on over her shoulder. Emily gave her father a long hug, promising, again, to take care of Pam.

As Paige rolled the suitcase down the hall to the elevator, Emily wiped a tear from her eye and squeezed Paige's shoulder. "You'll check in on him?" she asked.

"I'll check in on him," Paige promised.

* * *

The airport wasn't as crowded as they had feared. They got Emily's suitcase checked and made it to the security barrier in what seemed like no time. The line was moving at a good pace, so, rather than separating, they found a seat by the window and sat as close to each other as the armrest between them would allow. They weren't really talking. They were both dreading their upcoming time apart. They couldn't find much to say.

A shorter girl sped past them, dragging a wheeled carry-on behind her. She stopped in her tracks and took a couple of steps backwards before she turned around. "Paige?" Her voice was high-pitched with excitement and there was a lilt in the way that she said the name. "I thought that was you!"

"Terri." Paige's voice was a low monotone. Emily felt Paige tense slightly, almost imperceptibly. She squeezed Paige's hand, not to be territorial, but to let Paige know that she was there with her.

Terri stretched her arms out and, without missing a beat once she saw that Paige wasn't going to stand, bent over to give her ex the hug. "God, it's been... how many years?" Paige shrugged. She hadn't been keeping track. Terri switched her attention to Emily. "Hi," she said, extending her hand. "Terri Donner."

Emily stood slightly, never releasing her grip on Paige's hand as she shook Terri's. "Emily... Fields," she said, with a pleasant smile.

Terri was nothing like what Emily had envisioned. She could admit that Terri was cute in her own sort of way, and, of course, she wasn't getting enough of her personality to make a judgment one way or another. It was just that, somehow, she expected more from the girl whose parting had been so devastating to Paige.

Of course, she would never say that to Paige.

Terri, perhaps thinking better of attempting any small talk, rolled her eyes gamely and exclaimed, "Air travel, am I right? - I'd better get in that line. Great to see you, Paige! Nice to meet you!"

When she was out of view, Emily laid her head on Paige's shoulder and moved her hand from Paige's hand to her bicep. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Paige shrugged slightly.

"Let's take a walk," Emily said, tugging at Paige's arm as she stood.

"Where?" Paige was slightly dazed.

"I just want to get some air."

Paige nodded and picked up Emily's carry-on.

The sun was hot outside the air-conditioned terminal, but the change in the atmosphere felt good. Emily had both of her hands wrapped around Paige's hand as they walked into the humidity. "I'm going to miss you," she said as she leaned her head on Paige's shoulder.

"I'll miss you, too."

"But we can do six weeks, right?"

"Right." Paige started to lighten up. "And you'll be with your mother, so..."

"Yeah. And you'll be with Destiny, so..."

Paige couldn't help chuckling. "Were learning how to get along."

"Right... You mean she's learning to give you some space?"

Paige smiled shyly. "Something like that."

She stepped in front of Emily, her face serious. "I really love you, Emily."

Emily put her hands on Paige's shoulders and spoke softly. "I love you, too, Paige."

Emily thought that Paige would be better off talking about Terri, but she, like Destiny, had learned to give Paige some space. She knew that, when Paige was ready, if she were ever ready, she would take the initiative.

Paige took Emily's hand and turned around, leading them back towards the door that they had stepped out of. "It's weird," she said. "It's kind of like going back to high school and seeing how small everything looks, remembering how it used to seem so big and scary."

"Yeah?" Emily had an idea what Paige was talking about, but she wasn't sure where she was going.

"I mean, I thought that my feelings for her were so strong back then." Paige shook her head. "But I had no idea. I had no idea what love was, Emily. Not even close. Not till you. Till us."

Emily nodded. "I know. It's different when it's mutual. _Better_." She squeezed Paige's hand and looked into Paige's eyes, raising an eyebrow. She wanted to be sure that Paige knew that she would never treat her the way that Terri had.

They delayed it as long as they could, but, eventually, Emily had to get into the line for the security check. Paige followed her with her eyes, like a puppy tied up outside the post office, shifting its body, not taking its eyes off of its human. With a final wave, Emily disappeared into the terminal area, and Paige's shoulders slumped with the recognition that she would have to get through the next six weeks without her.

Emily gave Paige a call on her layover in Atlanta, and, later, when she arrived in Philadelphia. That call was just a quick check-in; it was late, and she and Pam still had the long drive to Rosewood ahead of them.

* * *

True to her word, Paige looked in on Wayne. They kept up the tradition of Friday night dinners, although, without Emily's influence, they ended up going out rather than eating in most of the time. Sometimes, Wayne invited a colleague or one of the young soldiers to go along with them. One time, Paige invited Destiny out, too, in an attempt to set her up with one of those soldiers. It didn't end well, but they got a food laugh out of it, at least.

On Saturdays, Paige and Wayne usually did something physical, like biking, hiking, swimming, or hitting the gym. They ended up tired, sweaty, and exhausted over lunch, but they always had a good conversation. Wayne had mentored many young soldiers over the course of his army career, and he gave Paige good advice about finances, careers, and relationships. Paige was grateful for the time that she was able to spend with him.

Even though it started out as Paige fulfilling her promise to Emily, Paige truly came to enjoy their long conversations. Their relationship definitely helped fill a void in her life. Paige had to wonder whether, just as Emily had asked her to look after Wayne, she had made her father promise to look after Paige.

Paige grew accustomed to being introduced as Wayne's "daughter's girlfriend." She kind of liked it; it felt like family. And, somehow, it gave Paige the resolve to mend fences with her own parents, although she couldn't imagine that Nick McCullers would ever introduce Emily like that. Wayne assured her that he would be more than happy to help in their reconciliation, if and when she decided to pursue it. He had learned a lot about family relationships from his work with younger soldiers, many of whom, like Paige, came to look at him as a father figure.

* * *

Emily was enjoying being back in Rosewood with her mother and her three best friends. Even though she was working as many shifts as she could pick up - and getting overtime, she always made sure to make time for them. Since she didn't have school, she was able to work the opening shift, which left her evenings free. It was a great time to reconnect.

"So, Em. What were you thinking when you talked Paige into sharing an apartment with Spencer?"

"Um, well, first of all, Hanna, for the thousandth time, Paige was the one who suggested it..."

"Well, how come you didn't un-suggest it? I mean, come on: First of all, having a roommate is going to cut down on your sexy times..."

"Hanna!"

"And, second, let's face it. I love Spencer, but she's not the easiest person to get along with..."

"Hey!" Spencer protested, "I'm right here!"

"Hanna, I know what it's like to live with Spencer. We were roommates last year, remember?"

"I know _you_ can get along with her, Em. I'm just saying - Spencer and Paige?" Hanna made the sound of explosions, as she unballed her fists in front of her body, imitating fireworks.

"They'll be _fine,_ Hanna. Really, you should see the two of them together."

"Okay, why is everybody talking about me as if I'm not right here at the table with you? I feel like Bruce Willis in 'The Sixth sense!'" Spencer looked from one blank face to the other and groaned, throwing her hands in the air, frustrated and baffled that none of her friends picked up on the reference.

"Anyway, she'll be out here in a couple of weeks, so you can see for yourself how well she and Spencer get along."

"How's Paige getting along with your dad?" Aria wanted to steer the conversation in another direction, to ease the tension a bit.

Emily sighed and paused, eventually breaking into a smile. "Actually, rather well, from what I hear. They're, like, 'buds,' now, or something." Emily played it down, making air quotes when she said, "buds," but it really made her happy to hear how well the two of them were bonding.

* * *

Emily and Pam were seated on the couch in front of Emily's laptop, getting ready to Facetime Paige and Wayne. Pam was staring at her image in the webcam and urgently picking at her hair. It was a ritual that Emily used to love ridiculing, telling her mother that Wayne didn't care; he just wanted to see her. This time, however, Emily found that she was grooming her own image in the webcam with that same nervous urgency. This call was different. It was no longer just a conversation with her dad; this time, it was a conversation with her parents and her girlfriend; her _family_ , she realized. She liked the way that felt.

Emily couldn't really say what they spent the half hour talking about. She just remembered laughing the whole time, with a weird but comfortable feeling in her stomach. And she remembered looking at her mom; the smile on her face as she looked at her husband. Emily realized that she was wearing the same smile, looking at her girlfriend.

All too soon, they were saying "I love you," looking sadly into each other's faces as they ended the session. Emily gave her mom a hug. In a little while, Paige would be in Rosewood. For Pam and Wayne, though, the wait would be longer.


	31. In the Beach House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WaitingForLightning pointed out a missed opportunity… I should've had Terri and Emily seated next to each other on the plane…
> 
> So, before we get to today's regular update, here's a bonus scene – an AU to this AU, as it were, where that happened. There were a bunch of ways I could've gone with it… I hope you're not too disappointed with the way I chose.

**Chapter 30a - In the Window Seat**

After Paige and Emily's delayed good-bye outside of security, Emily had to rush to the terminal, getting there just as they were about to close the gate. She smiled apologetically at all of the seated passengers she passed on her way down the aisle, knowing that they knew that she was the reason for their delayed departure. "Sorry," she said to her seatmate, the person with whom she would be spending the next three hours.

"Oh," The smile slowly faded from Emily's face. "Terri." _What are the chances?_

"Ell… uh – Emily?"

Emily put on her best face. "Yep, you got it. Emily."

"Not too awkward, huh?" Terri said, turning her legs in, toward the window, so Emily that could scoot past her to her seat.

Once the pre-flight presentations were over, Emily immersed herself in a sports magazine, intentionally being anti-social. It wasn't that she had anything in particular against Terri – her loss (or stupidity, from Emily's perspective) had been Emily's gain, after all. Emily just didn't feel like getting into a thing with the girl, especially since they were trapped in close proximity, inside a thin metal tube. She picked up on a couple of glances that Terri shot in her direction but didn't take the bait and look over.

When Terri touched her arm, though, she had no choice but to acknowledge her. "So. You go to school in Texas?" she asked, with a welcoming smile.

"No," Emily said, forcing a smile in return. "Just out spending some time with my Dad. And Paige," she added quickly.

Terri smiled and leaned back in her seat. Emily went back to her magazine. It wasn't long before Terri leaned forward again. Emily sighed internally, but didn't let it show on her face. She turned a weary face to Terri, who asked, "How long have you two been together?"

"A year," Emily said. "Since the start of the school year." As far as Emily was concerned, they were together since their early days, even if their relationship was radically different back then. Paige, had she been asked, would have given the same answer.

"She seems happy."

Emily just smiled. The girl was obviously fishing; Paige hadn't projected anything resembling happiness during their brief encounter at the airport.

"You know," Terri said, leaning over the armrest, "you do some stupid things when you're young. Sometimes, you just don't know what you have…" She trailed off. Emily didn't know what to say.

Terri was stuck in place, with the smile fixed on her face. "Does she ever talk about me?"

Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could've told the truth, but why kick the girl while she was down? "Do you really want to do this, Terri?"

Terri smiled weakly and sat back in her seat. "No," she said softly. "I suppose not."

As she leaned back in her seat, Emily's conscience started to bother her. "Look," she said, touching Terri's arm. "If there's one thing that I've learned about life, it's that love finds you when you're ready." She had heard that in a movie or something. Maybe on twitter. She stopped before promising that Terri would find someone. That seemed a bit too patronizing.

Terri forced a smile, taking Emily's hand from her forearm and giving it a squeeze. "Promise me one thing, Emily."

Emily smiled. She didn't need Terri to make her promise that she would treat Paige right. But she could give Terri that much. There was no need to add to her misery.

"Promise me… that you won't make the same mistake I did. And I'm asking for your sake as well as for Paige's sake."

Emily nodded. _Thanks, I guess?_

Terri relaxed back into her seat, and Emily relaxed back into her magazine. They exchanged some idle chit-chat over the course of the next three hours, and a quick smile and hug before they deplaned. And that was that.

"You'll never guess whom I sat next to on the plane!" Emily was rushing to find the gate for her connecting flight as she talked to Paige.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me it was…"

"Yep!"

"So did you guys…"

"Yep!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end.

"We don't have to talk about it, though," Emily said softly. "I'm trying to find my departure gate anyway."

"It's okay," Paige said. "I mean, she threw me for a loop at the airport, but there are no feelings there anymore."

"I know there aren't."

Paige sighed. "Is she happy?"

"Not really. Well, in general? Maybe. But I kind of got the feeling you were the one who got away."

"No," Paige said firmly. " _She_ pushed me away."

"Her mistake," Emily said. "And her loss is my gain."

"And my gain," Paige said emphatically.

* * *

**Chapter 31 - In the Beach House**

* * *

As the pilot announced that they were making their final approach to Philadelphia, Paige closed her eyes. There was a faint smile on her lips as she envisioned what was about to happen: She would walk out of the terminal through the automatic doors, rush down the hallway, bypassing the people-movers that were always clogged with standees and their luggage, and head down the stairs to baggage claim. About halfway down the steps, she would locate Emily and lock eyes with her, increasing her pace despite herself, in her eagerness to be in Emily's arms again. She would hug Emily for a long time, and they would walk hand in hand to the baggage carousel, still holding hands until Paige had to let go to grab her suitcase. Pam would pull up in the car, and Emily would trade places with her, taking the driver's seat for the trip home, so that she and Paige could sit together in the front seat.

When the plane finally landed, Paige stood and smoothed out her skirt. It was just a plain denim skirt, but she chose it in the hopes that Emily would appreciate it. Paige wasn't really a big fan of skirts - especially not for air travel, but Emily seemed to like it when she wore them. The guy she had to share a row with on the flight really seemed to like it. He had to try to be somewhat subtle about his enthusiasm, though, with his wife sitting in the seat between them.

* * *

Things didn't go quite the way Paige had imagined on the ground in Philadelphia.

Once the row in front of her started moving, Paige retrieved her carry-on bag from the bin and put it on her shoulder. She made it out of the airplane and through the terminal, following the signs baggage claim. When the automatic doors that led out of the terminal opened, Paige was blindsided; almost tackled by a crazed woman yelling, "Paige!" Before her mind caught up with what was going on, her lips were locked with Emily's with an intensity that defied the fact that they were in a crowded airport.

"Did you miss me?" Paige joked as they headed down the corridor, not hand-in-hand but arm-in-arm. Emily smiled, squeezing Paige a bit tighter. They took the people-mover, since Paige was no longer in a hurry.

"This is new," Emily remarked, biting her lip as her eyes drifted down to Paige's skirt. Paige gave her a wink.

They picked up Paige's bag, and Emily led them across the street to the short-term parking lot. "Pam's not here?"

Emily closed the trunk and gave Paige a kiss. "I wanted you all to myself."

"You know," Paige said with a wicked grin as she strapped on her seat belt, "we could always tell your mom that my flight was delayed. Sneak off somewhere..."

Emily leaned across the console for another kiss. "Cool it, Tiger." She patted Paige's thigh. The bare flesh felt soft and smooth under Emily's hand, so Emily left it there, giving it a stroke or two. "We'll have plenty of time for that next week. Right now, my Mom's dying to see you."

Paige smiled, partly in disbelief but mainly in delight. It was surprising but good to think that Pam had missed her. "I can't wait to see her, either."

* * *

Emily kept reaching over and putting her hand on Paige's leg, as if she'd never touched it before. The truth was that she missed it, and the fact that Paige had worn a skirt made it irresistible. Paige smiled to herself, happy with the choice she'd made.

Paige knew how Friday evening would go. They would spend a couple of hours in the kitchen, enjoying the experience of cooking together as much as that of dining together, and, once everything was done, they would settle in front of the TV to watch some antiquated show from the 80s or 90s. Pam would be curled up in the recliner, with her reading glasses on, holding a folded up section of the newspaper, calling out one of the clues to the crossword puzzle from time to time.

"Honey, three-letter word for 'trouble?' Starts with a 'J?'"

"JAM," Paige yelled, without thinking, apologizing sheepishly for jumping in.

"That's all right," Pam assured her, "I call you, 'Honey,' too!"

Emily rolled her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head. She calls everybody, 'Honey.' It's easier to remember!"

Pam sighed, shaking her head. "She and Wayne used to tease me, because, sometimes, I'd call her 'Wayne,' or him 'Emily,' Like, give me a break! I'm a mom! I'm juggling a thousand things in my head at any given moment! Trying to make sure that everyone's happy, well-fed, and safe!"

"So, she started calling everyone 'Honey?' Like Phineas and Ferb, when Dr. Doofenschmirtz..." Paige saw the blank expressions on both their faces. "You know what, never mind."

* * *

"I think I figured out what the thing is about your family," Paige said, taking a stack of plates that Emily had pulled out of the dishwasher.

Emily pointed to the cabinet were the plates were to be shelved, even though Paige already knew.

"Yeah?" Emily asked nervously. "We have a thing?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. It's _ritual_."

"Ritual..." Emily said the word slowly, not sure whether it was a good or bad thing.

"Yeah! You know, like Friday dinners with your dad in El Paso. Fridays in the kitchen and cheesy TV with your mom. The Facetime appointments..."

Emily smiled defensively. "Well, we may be boring, but..."

"Oh, no! Not at all! It's kind of great, actually." Paige paused a minute, her head slowly rocking from side to side as she considered what she was about to say. "We should have some rituals." She smiled nervously and started straightening a row of glasses in the cabinet, to avoid Emily's reaction.

Emily giggled, but she rubbed Paige's back, so Paige would know that she wasn't making fun of the suggestion. It was just that she liked it when Paige was like this; when she was sentimental. When she was thinking about their future. "So, what kind of rituals would we have?"

"It could be anything," Paige said with a shrug. "Like… I don't know – Pasta Tuesdays! Next year, you, Spencer, and I could all get together for pasta… every Tuesday."

"Hence the name, 'Pasta Tuesdays!'"

"Okay, well, you know what I mean…"

"Yeah, I'm just kidding. I _do_ know what you mean, and I love it, Paige. We could have some rituals with our family, some with our friends, and some," Emily wrapped her arms around Paige's waist from behind, "that are just between us."

* * *

Paige and Emily were up and on the road early on Saturday morning, hoping to beat the shore traffic on the way to Spencer's family's summer house by the Delaware shore. It was just the three of them; Hanna was out in California with Caleb for a couple of weeks, and Aria was off on a book tour with her boyfriend, Ezra, whom Paige had never met.

Emily thought that the week would be a good test; a dress rehearsal for the school year, to see whether or not Paige and Spencer would be able to get along. As alike as they were, there were bound to be some conflicts. Emily figured that's why they always say that _opposites_ attract.

Spencer started barking out orders as soon as they walked through the door. Emily squeezed Paige's arm, hoping to keep her calm. Paige and Spencer were both a bit on-edge from all the time on the road. Emily was glad that they had decided to drive down separately. The two of them cranky in a car would've been a nightmare.

In Spencer's eyes, she wasn't being bossy or controlling, but simply helping the new girl get oriented to the way that things ran in the beach house.

Paige didn't see it that way.

Once they settled into their rooms, Paige and Emily both collapsed on the bed to recover from their long drive. Emily put her hand on Paige's chest and asked the question that had been plaguing her. "You're not having second thoughts are you?"

"What? No, of course not! I'm glad we came, Em. It was definitely worth the drive."

"No, not that. I'm talking about rooming with Spencer. Are you guys going to be able to get along?"

"Of course!" Paige chuckled dismissively. "As long as she respects the pecking order!"

"Pai…"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. We'll be fine."

"Because she really doesn't mean to be… abrasive. She just likes to fix things."

"I know. I get it, Emily. We're alike, as you always say. Look, there are going to be some rough edges, but we'll work them out."

Emily smiled, giving Paige's arm a grateful squeeze.

"As soon as she realizes that it's my way or the highway," she muttered.

Emily raised her head from the mattress for a split second, but then smacked Paige on the chest when she realized that she was teasing her again. "Oh, stop it," she droned sarcastically, "you're killing me."

* * *

"Look what I brought!" Emily said in a teasing tone after dinner, walking into the common room where Paige and Spencer were sitting in their neutral corners, both engrossed in their tablets. When they looked up, she pulled a Scrabble game from behind her back. Spencer stared at Paige and Paige stared back, in what looked like the prelude to the Gunfight at the OK Corral.

"This is definitely _not_ going to be a friendly game," Paige said, moving her pointed look to Emily.

"You've played against them?" Spencer asked.

"If you can call it that. Whatever it was we played, it certainly wasn't Scrabble!"

Spencer moved closer to Paige as they compared notes on their experiences playing with Emily and Pam. Emily smiled to herself, satisfied. She got destroyed in the game, as she expected she would, but she won the larger game. She had provided them with a common enemy; something to bond over. They were united not against Emily, but against her way of playing Scrabble. With their point of view vindicated by the drubbing they were giving Emily, they were able to put their other differences aside.

It seemed like an obvious trick to Emily, but an effective one, nonetheless.

* * *

Once Paige and Spencer were over the hump, it was easier for them to find common ground in other areas.

"You know," Spencer told Paige one morning, as they cooled down after a run along the beach, "not all families are like Emily's. My family was a bit more complicated." Paige, unsure how to reply, just nodded. "I've always had a strained relationship with my parents. I knew that they loved me, but they were very emotionally distant, you know? With each other and with me. They felt the need to keep things at arm's length."

Paige squeezed Spencer's knee. "That can really suck. Trust me, I know."

"I know you do. And that's why I'm telling you this. I'm sure that there are some things that you can't really talk to Emily about, because she would have no way of relating. Just so you know, you can talk to me."

"Thanks, Spencer. I appreciate that."

"And it goes both ways?"

"Of course!"

Spencer raised her water bottle in a toast. "Dysfunctional families of America, unite!"

* * *

Paige drove Emily's car back from Delaware. They had a special stop to make before they headed back to Rosewood.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Paige asked for the thousandth time.

Emily put her hand on Paige's leg, giving her knee a gentle squeeze. "Of course I am, Paige. Whatever you need."

Paige had decided to reach out to her parents. She knew that they would probably never have the kind of relationship that Emily and her parents had, or even the kind that Spencer had with her parents. But she wasn't going to be part of the problem anymore. She wanted to make sure that she did the right thing. What her parents did in response was up to them.

She asked Emily to come along to provide moral support, but, mainly, because Emily was a part of her life; a part of her life that her parents needed to see.

"You know, I don't even know where your parents live. They're in Pennsylvania?"

Paige nodded. "Ravenswood."

"Ravenswood?" Emily shouted, punching Paige in the shoulder before she realized what she was doing. "You mean, they've been…"

Paige nodded. "I know, I know."

"And we could've?"

"I know, Emily. That's why I didn't say anything. I knew that you would want to go track them down, and I really wasn't ready for that."

"Oh. Okay." Emily realized that she wasn't being sensitive to Paige's feelings. Paige was right: Emily would have tried to get them together, based on the kind of parents that she was used to. But she understood that it was different in Paige's case. "Sorry," she said, smiling weakly.

"It's okay." Paige put her hand on top of Emily's. "And, plus," she continued, "it's Ravenswood, so…" She put her hand in the air, wiggling it eerily, with an eerie "ooooh!" sound.

A short while later, Paige pulled off and parked in a deserted parking lot in front of a 7-11. She turned off the engine and put her hands in her lap. "Emily, there's something else that I have to tell you, before we go any further." She looked away from Emily, focusing on nothing in particular out of the windshield.

Emily looked over at Paige, her smile fading into a look of concern when she saw the look on Paige's face. "Okay," she said, almost inaudibly. She reached out to give Paige's shoulder a squeeze but froze in the middle of the gesture, not sure what Paige was about to say, so not sure what kind of response would be appropriate.

Paige looked down at her hands which were fidgeting in her lap. "I'm a… ghost." She glanced up at Emily and then glanced quickly back down into her lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Oh! So sorry! Another cliffhanger... I promise I'll make sense of it all in tomorrow's finale!
> 
> (If anyone is overcome by suspense, you can always check out the original post on ff dot net...) :)


	32. In Conclusion

"You're a what?" Emily immediately regretted shouting. She should've remained calm. She wanted to be supportive of her girlfriend – her _ghostfriend_ , or whatever – but she couldn't help reacting out of the shock that overtook her.

"I'm a ghost," Paige repeated. She was twisting her fingers together as she spoke. Her voice was soft and shaky. "I was born Emily Paige, in Ravenswood, in 1894. I died eight years later in a tragic accident, in a plot of ground by a granary, known as The McCullers Fields. When I got to the Netherworld, they told me that I had died before my time. I stayed there, in limbo, for a century, waiting for the opportunity to return. They told me that I would have one chance to find my soulmate. And when I met you, and found out your name – Emily Fields – I knew that you had to be the one."

Emily was listening to all of this with her mouth wide open. Paige, when she finished, took a deep breath and stared at her lap again.

Emily shoved her in the shoulder, knocking her against the driver's-side door. "You are so full of shit!"

Paige burst into laughter, shrugging her shoulders and putting her hands up apologetically.

Emily sucked air through her teeth. She wasn't quite sure that Paige had been pulling her leg until Paige started laughing. "Damn it, Paige! I hate you so much right now!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Paige leaned over to hug Emily, but Emily pulled away, pouting playfully.

"Are we even going to see your parents?"

"Yeah, yeah. We are. I just…" Paige made a pleading face. "You know, everybody thinks Ravenswood is so… out there, so… I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

Emily rolled her eyes and spread her arms out for the hug that she really needed, to help calm her down. "You almost gave me a heart attack," she pouted.

"I'm so sorry." Paige sighed. "Do you mind if we just sit here, for a bit? I kind of need to get my head together before… you know."

_You need to get your head together?_ Emily's stomach was a mess, but she didn't say anything. She knew how hard it had to be for Paige to do what they was about to do, and, if her little joke helped her to relax, it was worth it. "Of course," she said, rubbing Paige's thigh comfortingly. "Take as much time as you need. _Casper_."

"Oh, God," Paige pleaded, "please tell me that's not going to be my new nickname?"

Emily laughed. "You earned it!"

* * *

Paige leaned back against the headrest with her eyes closed. There was hardly a sound, except for the occasional whoosh from a passing car.

One car passed, then backed up, and pulled into the parking lot. "Paige!" Emily, frightened, squeezed Paige's arm painfully tight. Paige looked out of the window as the driver's door opened. "Paige!" Emily yelled, more desperately.

Paige tried to get the car started, but her hand was too shaky with nervousness. Emily saw a man coming towards the car and screamed, opening her door and running.

"Daddy!" Emily jumped into his arms and held him tight. "What are you doing here?"

"Paige asked me to help her try to work things out with her parents. I reached out to her father over the phone, and he's eager to get together. So, I took some leave to be here tonight and back in Rosewood for the rest of the summer."

"Surprise," Paige said in a dry monotone.

Emily hadn't heard Paige get out of the car or come up next to her, and she let out a startled gasp at the sound of her voice. Letting go of her father, she moved her hug to Paige, giving her a big kiss. "I swear to God, if I didn't love you, you'd be so dead right now, McCullers!"

Turning back to her father, Emily asked, "So, how long have you and the friendly ghost been planning this?"

Wayne, confused, looked over at Paige, mouthing the words, "the friendly ghost?" Paige shrugged her shoulders innocently, so Wayne looked at Emily.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I'll explain it to you later."

* * *

Emily got out of the car and took a few quick steps to catch up with Paige, who was walking up to the front door of Nick McCullers' house. Once she caught up, she took Paige's hand, holding it firmly. She reached across her chest with her other arm, to rub Paige's shoulder. "Let's wait for my Dad?" She nodded her head looking to Paige for confirmation.

Paige stopped. The look of determination on her face morphed into an embarrassed smile. "Oh. Yeah. Right."

No sooner had the words left her lips than Wayne's rental car pulled up behind Emily's car on the curb. He walked up to the two and put his arm around Paige's shoulder. "I know this is your family," he said, "but maybe I should talk first." Paige nodded. She had no idea what to say, anyway.

Nick opened the door with a look on his face that could best be described as constipated, seeing the three of them on his porch. He took a quick glance down to Paige's hand, which Emily was still holding. "Paige," he said, nodding his head, and moving his focus to Emily, on Paige's right, and Wayne, on Paige's left. "Emily, Colonel Fields."

"Mr. McCullers," Wayne replied – the only one who responded verbally.

"Perhaps we should dispense with the formalities, Wayne?"

"I think so, Nick."

Nick stood aside, closed the door, and led the way toward the living room. "I called your mother, Paige. She would've been here if she could have, but – well, you know how those things go."

Paige nodded once. She still hadn't spoken a word since they rang Nick's doorbell. Emily wasn't used to seeing her like that. She squeezed Paige's hand, to check that she was okay. Paige squeezed back.

"Well," Nick said, settling into a seat after everyone else was seated, "Wayne tells me that you wanted to talk about things."

"If I may, Nick?" Wayne nodded at Nick, who nodded back his approval, and then at Paige, although she had already given her consent.

"I've worked with a lot of soldiers, Nick. Male and female. From all sorts of backgrounds. And this kind of situation isn't that unusual. It's natural, in fact, as children grow older, for them to assert their independence from their parents, and that causes a rift between the two. It can be hard on both the parents and the children, especially if the family had been very affectionate up to that point. In the normal course of life, that rift is gradually bridged. But, where there are special circumstances involved, they can tend to make the rift even wider. But, I've found that some open and honest communication can repair just about any relationship, no matter how damaged."

" 'Special circumstances.'" Nick sneered. "You mean the fact that my daughter is gay."

"Well, no, Nick, actually, that's not what I meant. But since you've opened that door, perhaps we could see where it leads."

Nick leaned forward and pointed his finger at Wayne. "I never thought any less of my daughter because of who she is. I never treated her any differently…"

"That's not true!" Paige yelled, leaping to her feet.

"Paige, once you came out to your mother and me, I never once had anything bad to say. You know that. In fact, I went out of my way to protect you…"

"Did you, Dad? Or were you protecting yourself? Or the McCullers name? I never needed your protection. I never needed you to make me the poster child for every injustice that you had ever suffered. I didn't need you sending letters to the head of security at my school."

"Paige…" Nick stood up and began to pace, rubbing his temples against his palms. "That's not true," he said, not raising his voice. "I did it to protect you from… guys like me. I swear, I was only thinking of you… Of you... and of Eddie Bates."

Eddie Bates, Nick explained, was on the football team with him in college. When rumors started circulating that Eddie liked men, the team hazed and bullied him mercilessly. And Nick McCullers was one of the ringleaders. They all thought of it as harmless; innocent teasing, but, looking back, Nick had come to realize how painful it must've been for Eddie. Unable to contact him since those days, Nick was never able to live down the guilt and secret shame.

Paige looked down at Emily on the couch. Emily made a slight gesture toward Nick, and Paige picked up on it. She wrapped her father in a hug; – something she hadn't done in years.

It wasn't as simple as that to repair their relationship, of course, but it was a first step. Before they left, Paige promised to keep in touch with Nick, and they agreed that Paige would come back to Ravenswood once a month during the school year for family counseling.

The conversation through the rest of the evening was tense and stilted, but it was purposeful. Paige was serious about wanting to repair their relationship, and Nick appeared to be, too.

When it was all over, everyone involved was glad that they had made the effort.

* * *

Epilogue

Paige glanced around at the table and realized how happy she was at that moment. She and Emily were surrounded by the most important people in their lives: Nick and Marlene McCullers, Pam and Wayne Fields, a smattering of their cousins, Spencer and Toby, Hanna and Caleb - with their six-month-old son, Cal, in Hanna's lap, and Aria and Ezra Fitzgomery.

After Paige finished her undergraduate degree, she did some freelance writing and editing. She didn't want to get locked in to a career somewhere before they knew where Emily would be going to graduate school. To be able to put a little money away, Paige took an adjunct position at the college, teaching remedial English to undergrads who had gained admission on the basis of skills in athletics or the sciences, but whose grammar and writing needed some work. She found that she enjoyed teaching, and began volunteering on weekends in local community-based literacy programs. Eventually, she decided to go back to get a master's degree in remedial education. She and Emily ended up starting and finishing their master's degrees together.

Emily received a master's degree in Kinesiology. The best way for her to get started in her chosen field of sports therapy was with a position in a college athletic department, and, with the connections that she had made as an undergrad and a graduate student, she had no trouble getting hired by her alma mater. Paige was perfectly happy to stay near campus. Over the course of six years, she, too, had come to think of the place at home.

Paige looked over at Emily. Emily nodded, so Paige stood up, holding out her hand to help Emily up. She clinked her spoon against her glass and asked, "May we have your attention?"

When all eyes around the table turned to her, she smiled at Emily, who said, "We'd like to make an announcement."

The night before, when it was just the two of them celebrating at a candlelit dinner, Paige became nostalgic, and they talked about their past. They were both misty eyed as they considered their journey and where it had led them. "Well," Paige said, "we've been bedmates, phone mates, best mates, roommates…"

"Soulmates!"

"Soulmates," Paige affirmed. "There's just one more thing."

Emily closed her eyes and bit her lip, her hands clapping together under the table in anticipation.

Paige reached into her pocket and produced a small box. "Emily, will you marry me?"

The "Yes" came out before Paige finished the sentence.

Even though everyone knew that an engagement was coming, the fact that they announced it at their graduation dinner still came as a surprise. There were hugs and handshakes, and cheers from strangers sitting near them who overheard what was going on.

Hanna, who had started mentally planning the wedding from the moment Emily said that they had an announcement to make, wanted to talk to Emily about colors and patterns, but Emily waved her off. "My future wife and I have more important things to take care of tonight," Emily said.

"Exactly," Hanna insisted. "Your _future_ wife. So we need to start talking about this stuff _now_!"

"No," Emily said with an unfading smile. Her eyes were fixed on Paige's as she hugged her around the neck. "I've got all I need right here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I should've known I couldn't fool you guys with that ghost business ! :) And I apologize... That's no way to end a story, is it? (Thanks to Feriel2017, whose review inspired the nickname "Casper...")
> 
> Thanks so much for spending some time with this fic!
> 
> And, most of all, biggest thanks, of course, go to thecatfromaliceinwonderland, who came up with the idea for this story, and who, I hope, was not too terribly disappointed by what I did with it.
> 
> We're really fortunate to have so many Paily fics in progress at the moment. Please help keep fan fiction alive by letting the authors whose stories you read know just how much you appreciate their work. Every review - even if it's only one word - is a vote to continue, and every vote counts!
> 
> Okay - rant over... Thanks again! I'm not exaggerating when I say that I love you all!


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